Day of the Wacko (2002) User Reviews (20)

You don't need to be a Polish to understand this

[snncy2000 · 8/10 · 16 January 2008]

I'm always looking at IMDb's best movie lists and this movie is in the list. Although it did not get much votes, average of votes is so high that it got a place in the top list. After watching it I gave it an 8 here is why:

It'a about a middle aged, divorced, very lonely, obsessive and miserable man.

This guy apparently has wasted his life, never found his dream girl, got married to another woman whom he did not love. Missed the chance of becoming a professor, got a job as teacher with low salary and disrespectful students.

He only loves and cares about his son. But he predicts and afraid of that his son will become just like him and have a miserable life.

Those all said, is this all his fault or are the society, country and people to blame is a question we ask along watching the movie.

This movie shows a countries's long-time social problems, pointless politicians, spoiled youth and culture, changing but not adapting social structure and so on. Unfortunately those are not only for Poland but all the countries does have this kind of problems.

So here we have two sides of a man's sad story. One side is his own obsessions, never ending health problems, pressure of his mom and always looking for better and never finding true love dilemma. Second is the weirdness of the society, a harsh criticism of Polish people and funny examples of how stingy, not friendly, selfish they are.

Of course it does have some cultural references to Polish life and history which I could not understand since I am not Polish, but most of the movie is about us, all human beings.

Just give it a try, I'm sure you'll find some similarity to your life.

Weird, but funny!

[yohan_nl · 9/10 · 24 June 2004]

I don't watch foreign movies very often. Day of the Wacko was an exception. But I was glad I saw it. Would not have missed it.

The title of the movie contains exactly what the film is all about. A day of the life of a real wacko. Watch this strange man, doing everything in his own careful way. As he has been doing his whole life. The man tries to escape from his town, his habits.. his life. Will he manage to do this?

A strange movie. But really good. And with some clear messages for all of us. If you get a chance to see this one, be sure to watch it.

You will not be disappointed.

It's a shame that this film isn't available on dvd in Europe.

Thoughtful and poignant meditation on the life we've lived.

[MNMoviePaul · 9/10 · 13 June 2007]

Even though I've lived in Poland for over a year now, I generally don't watch many Polish movies, especially newer ones, which I've found to be very derivative of American and British films. This movie however is a true gem. A rare film that makes you take stock of your own choices in life. The movie focuses on a day (though actually it has to be more than one day) in the life of Adas, a 49 year old high school teacher from Warsaw who's first words to us are "I'm afraid of waking up", and we soon learn thats not all he's afraid of. Adas is deeply dissatisfied with every aspect of his life. From his noisy neighbors, to his broken family, to the Polish government, to his own inability to climb out of his personal hell. Told mostly through narration voice-over which clues us in to Adas's thought process, the film explores the turmoil of middle age with an honesty and poignancy rare in film. While certainly hilarious in moments, this movie serves up an equal (or greater) amount of melancholy as well, balancing the two aspect, delicately. As Adas passes from compulsion to depression, to denial, to rage, we learn more about him, and come to empathize with him. The most striking feature of this movie for me, was the universality of Adas, and the relate-ability to him. Yes he is Polish, with some uniquely Polish complaints and problems, but he could easily be any middle aged man in any western society. While he's a wacko in his own way, what the movie says is, "aren't we all?", "aren't we all this man in some way?" This movie did for me, what hardly any movies do anymore; it made me think and reflect about my own life and my own choices, and any movie that can do that, deserves praise in my book.

Very good

[orbit991 · 14 April 2004]

I'm not sure what some get so uptight about nitpicking some small details and missing the whole big picture and the wonderfull moments of the film. I also left Poland as a child in 1979 and one thing I had to live through is bad Hollywood films:P This movie can be crude, but why shouldnt it be. If your life turned out like this you would be extremely unhappy and likelly using rather colorfull words when you reached the boiling point as the main character has. The film is simply art, it had no typical pre-fabricated way of telling the story, it was simply a day in life of an angry man with a life time of regrets and love that he yearned for. It also had some critisisms of Poles in general and I have to agree, sometimes there was to many "me me me" when I have visited insted of "we". I think the prayer at the end summoned it up. Most of all it is a satire, it is taken to extreme in places, thats what satires do, so dont take this to literally, just enjoy and try to understand that it is not you regular moron proof hollywood movie where everything is laid out in front of you and overexplained so the dimmer amongst us dont ask to many questions. To me its one of the best films I have seen in the last ten years, a pleasant surprise.

Society-Critical film especially funny for polish people!

[moquaj · 10/10 · 26 April 2004]

The film does not consist only of flat humor as of vulgar speech and behave of the protagonist but has a very deep social critic (as for example the popping up of 3rd world scenes or showing how neighbors treat each other or in general how people talk to each other). The protagonist appears as a freak but compared to the rest of the world he is the most normal one, it is the behave of the society which leads him to his abnormality. An other strong critical emphasis is put on the consume-society of our world. TV advertisements are shown totally ridiculously and the products they advertise are totally non-sense. It may appear quite funny, but if we think about this fact it is shown like it is in reality. Profit and consume dominate about rationality and humanity. It is one of the best movies I've seen in the last year, the humor is not typical American slapstick or "Al Bundy -like" but the vulgar talking of the protagonist calms the pathetic style and makes it easier to watch and also very funny. A+!!!

Painfully true

[supernick-3 · 10/10 · 2 June 2009]

I'm not Polish, but I had the pleasure of visiting most of the country on multiple occasions, I studied there, I dated there. To all the critics who despise the use of profanity, the vulgar approaches of the protagonist, or the economical background, I invite them to take a closer look around Poland. If the described situations are unrealistic, then this is only half true. There are much worse and true facts that are either not mentioned or unexplored in this movie, like the feeling of unsafety, the neediness for capitalism and the exploitation hereof, and the careless and emotionless attitude of the young (men).

Apart from that, this movie nails it. I saw it during a screening in my classes on Polish culture (braught by Polish teachers). I laughed out loud after the first words were uttered when the main character woke up. How sad, but how true his words were. Of course this is satire. What happens here to one person could at most be the combination of a hundred people involved. Still, the pain is real. It's not an easy life out there if you're a local. Everyday is a struggle, the English language is an unrealistic necessity, money is a key word.

Keep an open mind when you watch this one. Seek out the good parts (I enjoyed all the dog references, since I'm not a big dog fan), and know that politically, economically, and privately, this does represent a part of Poland. I love that country though, with all its flaws. It's just not always easy.

The movie gets a 10 from me. I haven't seen anything like it, and I've seen most.

Best Polish movie ever!

[aremuc · 10/10 · 12 October 2006]

"Day of Wacko" is in my opinion the best ever Polish movie. And I'm surely NOT exaggerating. Non-Poles who are not interested in or have no idea about Polish culture and realities will probably not get half of the film, but I still recommend it to anyone who's open minded.

This is a story about a well-educated and intelligent teacher in his middle-ages, who can't stand stupidity, ignorance, his neighbours, and generally everyone and everything around him. If you've seen "Falling Down" (1993) with Michael Douglas, which is by the way another film I'd recommend, you'll get the point. However, no plagiarism was used here. The main character hates himself as well, mainly for the lack of inspiration in writing and still being dependant on his mother. The whole movie is presented within the monologues he has in his head, in many cases dirty ones. And by that I mean many vulgarisms, which at some point may get repelling. Although containing some comic parts, this film is depressing, especially if you think about the man's tragedy, because his life can be called like that. If you try to understand his situation, see why he's frustrated, and why there are so many negative feelings in him, you'll probably reach the point in which you'll feel down. There are many Polish stereotypes, system faults, and absurd presented and in some way laughed out. But then again, you have a depressing feeling of not being able to do anything about it. I really recommend watching this movie to anyone, especially to those who have some mixed feelings about the world. If it's possible, try to talk to any Polish person around, so he/she would explain some of the things that may be typical for Polish society and not common at all in other cultures. I just hope the English translation of this film is good...

General note: 10/10 and I really mean it.

Best Polish film in quite a while

[BroadswordCallinDannyBoy · 9/10 · 29 March 2004]

I think it definitely is. Recently Polish films were pretty much always with Olaf Lubaszenko and Cezary Pazura. A decent director/actor pair but nothing special. Their films like "E=mc2" and "Chlopaki nie placza" were funny but rather mundane, just vulgar humor followed by slapstick. It's funny, but you get sick of it after a while. Then there were movies like "Psy" which are Polish wannabe American crime thrillers and action movies. Again they were decent efforts, but not comparable to movies of the same genre from Hong Kong (Hard Boiled) or America (Resevoir Dogs). This film however is a true work of art. Not just made to look cool, but to express a directors point of view. I think it compares to Aronofsky's masterpiece "Pi," in that it's story about a man lost in the search for something. Granted is the fact that this is a very different film than "Pi" in its story, but artistically it's a good achievement for a Polish director who looks like he is on his way to be among Wajda and Kieslowski. 9/10

No MPAA rating. Contains strong profanity

Absolutely outstanding!

[maciosgh · 10/10 · 14 July 2006]

If you're looking for a comedy to spend some time laughing you've got the wrong movie. This one isn't funny and if there scenes to laugh about it's not because they're "funny" but because they're true.

"The Day of the Wacko" is about one day taken from a life of a underpaid, depressed, Polish language teacher in Warsaw. But it's also about getting old and tired of life that seemed so happy and nice at first and then turned into a total disaster - a disaster that a lot of people getting old (not only in Poland) experience. Another movie about Adas Miauczynski is true to the bone, it tries to picture the confrontation between the idealist dreams that all of us had while being young with reality that, often, is depressing and sad. And it does..."The Day of the Wacko" also makes a few points about us, Polish people (or rather people in general), that we often try to hide or make them go away in our minds. I believe each and every person after watching the movie will feel that this it's, even in a flash, about themselves.

The screenplay, and directing is really good, but the movie would be poor if not for some excellent acting by Marek Kondrat as Adas Miauczynski - he's not excellent, he's absolutely wonderful as a man that considers himself as the lowest of the low. In my opinion this is one of the most universal Polish movies ever made (at least after 1989) and anyone interested in Polish cinema should take a while to see it.

10/10

Absurdist Comedy--Bitter, Comic, Surreal

[LeonardKniffel · 10/10 · 23 October 2014]

More than a dozen years after it was made, I settled down to watch this highly lauded Polish film and soon wondered what took me so long. "Day of the Wacko" is Polish cinema at its best. It's as if Federico Fellini had made "Jackass, the Movie." Brilliantly played by Marek Kondrat, the main character is a jackass, a bitter 49-year-old man who hates his life. His obsessive-compulsive daily routines, his insomnia, and his contempt for other people, have made a mess of him. He lives in a delusional world in which he is the only sane and rational person. Through his world view, however, comes a well deserved satirizing of the commercialization of Polish life and the vapid individuals who inhabit his world. We end up sympathizing with him, as his son, his former wife, his mother, and all of his neighbors display their absurd normalcy. This is comedy that makes you think.

"I want to die."

[evabraunscervix · 1/10 · 4 October 2007]

This movie offers nothing to its audience. The user comments on here paint an overwhelmingly positive picture of this film, but it is worthless. "Day of the Wacko" lacks intelligences and puts no faith in the intelligence of the viewer. Every character in this movie is an exaggerated caricature, especially the main character. This is supposed to be a character study of Adam and his dysfunctions, but there is absolutely nothing to latch onto. His problems are centered on the fact that he has OCD and has to carefully measure his every move, but instead of a detailed, subtle examination of a complex person, we're given a stereotype that falls somewhere between Psych 101 and a cartoon. If this wasn't bad enough, the audience is further insulted by the fact that nearly every moment of this film is filled with Adam's narration that explains his motivations for everything in the most simplified terms. As a novel, the narration would lack subtlety and depth; as a film technique, it's unforgivable. As for the supposed humor, none of it works. Half of the jokes come from awkward and unnecessary vulgarity (and mind you, my favorite director is John Waters), and the other half are intended to stem from the character, only there is no actual character so there are no actual jokes. All the exchanges between Adam and the people he meet are forced and unrealistic. Don't look to this film for insight, entertainment, or social commentary. If you want a shocking satire on modern angst, check out something like Happiness or Man Bites Dog instead.

An great movie, must see

[yidele · 28 March 2004]

Dzien Swira ( Day of the freak) is Koterski's latest addition to an already impressive portfolio. Like his other semi-autobiographical move titled Nic Smiesznego ( nothing funny), Dzien Swira records the inner dialogue & the prose of a single day in the life of Adam Miauczynski, a character based on M. Koterski. Miauczynski, like Koterski, is an compulsive-obsessive, excentric, bitter & disillusioned individual caught in Poland's post communist reality, a reality as Ill suited to him as the communist one was. One of the reasons why Koterski's work is either loved or intensly disliked by Poles, is the painfully acurate description of polish hell, made all the more vivid by his insistance on showing the trivial & at the same time essential moments of daily life in excruciating detail. life is all the more hell when the damned are aware that life could be different, and this is what makes Miauczynski's suffering all the more real. A number of the scenes are classics, unequalled by any of Koterski's contemporaries, especially the scenes depicting Miauczynski's relationship with his son, the senate, train toilet and street demonstration scenes.

It is unfortuante for the western viewer that the context & language of the film make it very difficult to translate adequatly, refering as it does to polish classical literature, contemporary culture and nigh-untranslatable street slang, the contrast being all the more vivid, since Miauczynski is a Polish literature lecturer obsessed with what he percieves to be the decay of the language he loves.

If I were to compare Koterski to any western director, it would be to Britain's Mike Leigh. An insane Mike leigh with an infectious sense of humour & a penchant for social commentary.

All in all, This is Koterski's finest work to date, perhaps the finest Polish film in the last 5 years. My rating is a solid 8/10

Brief look

[too-6 · 10/10 · 16 September 2005]

On the contrary to many previous critiques of "Dzien Swira" ("Day of the Wacko"), I would like to add my opinion which I believe is rather objective and certainly true for all who understand the pillar of it's meaning and purpose of director's view. This movie apart Koterski's location is widely describing human social habits and it's showing how seeking of life's purpose might poison social behavior. Marek Koterski definitely outreaches "Nic Smiesznego" ("Nothing funny") vision in Wacko. Every single scene including those containing dirty words and actions is describing how predictable people are under defined circumstances and how dumb we might be even while having so much knowledge and theoretical understanding of feelings. Everlasting seeking for perfection clearly illustrated by dreaming of Ela, main character frustration on payday or subordination and blind following alternated by opposing to his mother are just few examples. Adam, sky high above all his neighbors or travel mates is probably being seen as recluse but he doesn't see his problem, he is concentrated on "me, myself and I". This movie is about loneliness and warns viewers to not to elevate walls separating them from society. When watching "Day of the Wacko" with this point of view in mind you might be surprised how much of Wacko you have in yourself. And it's deep deserves 10.

Dzien Swira

[polska_bella21 · 10/10 · 22 August 2006]

I personally disagree with the last comment from Vancouver. I myself came to Canada just a few years ago and I feel that the movie Dzien Swira is an interesting and comical take on the serious issue of depression. The fact that the protagonist uses unusual and sometimes unethical ways to deal with his anger and anxiety makes the movie more realistic. When dealing with inner turmoil people do not always make right choices, they often push people away. As viewers watch the movie, they begin to feel a connection to this lonely and depressed man. Maybe the Vancouver viewer really did not understand the "poet's neurotic excretions" as she says, for she misses the main point of the movie, its message. The fact that this man is Polish is just that ..his ethnicity is not the point of the movie but rather his personal struggle. I do not feel that there were so many stereotypes, because as many of us Poles know the writer of this movie plays the son in it. That in itself breaks the mold. Simple minded individuals watch dzien swira and do no analyze it. One must watch and think about why he does he do the things he does. As a polka, I feel this movie is not only very funny but one that leaves the audience thinking K*rwa.

A movie which is something more than just a comedy

[stepienmaciejw · 10/10 · 3 August 2019]

This is my favorite Polish film, a tragicomedy about an ordinary person who loses his life with his expectations and dreams all his life.

On the other hand, there are many funny scenes in it, so you will not get bored even for a minute of this work.

I really liked this movie

[nurbomvlogs · 8/10 · 16 January 2024]

I really liked this movie. Situation in the current society, problems and the situation of a single person in it. I am glad that for the first time I came across a movie on the Internet that is meaningful and has a special feeling that I want and that is suitable for my situation. It is beautifully expressed that having a share of love in our life can overcome all the noise outside. If I'm not mistaken, this is my first time watching a Polish film. I fell in love with the Polish film from the first. I would like to express my gratitude to the Polish filmmakers for their efforts to convey to the audience in this way every problem that has been relevant until now in a single film with a single socialist hero!

Disgusting

[jerzym · 2/10 · 14 February 2004]

Some people in Poland love this movie. Some quotations, especially containing dirty words , are used as the "signs of initiation" among the "Dzien Swira" lovers. But for me this movie (like all Koterski's films) is sick and disgusting. Koterski's "hero" is disenchanted polish teacher, divorced and compulsive. The way in which he expresses his anger is sh***ing on the lawn, crying "kurwa mac, ja pierdole" or "pojebalo was" (polish idioms with high concentration of profanity) and desperately trying to fit his d**k in proper trouser leg. Gimme a break !!!!!

PS- and in addition: It's boring !!!!

How Soon Is Now?

[valis1949 · 29 September 2011]

DAY OF THE WACKO, directed by Marek Koterski, is a rather droll comedy about the daily life of an eccentric and depressed Polish high-school teacher. He's angry, lonely, underpaid, unappreciated, and can envision no end to his predicament. Imagine a film in which the ambient spirit of Eleanor Rigby is reconfigured as a very frustrated Polish, middle-aged nerd, and you come close to the tone of this dark farce. There are some scenes which are very funny, and others are just plain odd. Yet, overall, the film is worth a look. When the hero visits the beach to relax and unwind, he meets some of the craziest and bizarre characters that one could imagine. A few of these scenes are flat-out hysterical. Bonus Features are all in Polish without sub-titles.

Just sad... in a bad way...

[ggk-34-546807 · 1/10 · 7 December 2012]

I've seen this movie about three-four times over the years on different occasion and I find it just more and more unpleasant. The movie tries to be a commentary about Poland but sadly when all of you're commentary focuses only on negatives it come out more as a propaganda then a satire. It's just feels way to manipulative for me. Yes Polish society have problems but the way movie hammers in the messages is just painful to watch. To make it worse - it's just not that funny. Most observations are pretty obvious so there is nothing really new.

Another problem is the main hero which I had hard time to relate to. Much like the movie he only focuses on negative things in his life which once again makes him not very sympathetic character. Both the hero and the script writer comes out as whinny and people who just can't enjoy life for a single moment and if your message is that all people in Poland are this way I can't agree or give the movie any respect. It lost me early on and 2-3 funny moments aren't enough to win me back especially is most of so called is just vulgar...

Polish wanna-be "HAPPINESS"???

[dominikagirl · 4 October 2003]

I left Poland as a seven year old girl in 1981.. no, hang on - first of all, Why is there a man defecating in this film? For all of the intellectual things I have loved about films from the 'homeland', nothing has ever sunk into the realm of BFR (bodily function reduction) without trying to be an educational film on the digestive tract. This screened at the Vancouver Film Festival three days ago and I made the voyage to the theatre feeling stoic and anticipating something momentous... after all, reverence and sentiment is something that runs amongst all of the Poles I know and no, wait - why is there a blisteringly heavy-handed metaphor that includes people playing tug-o-war with the Polish flag, it ripping and (I can't believe they stooped this cliche) BLOOD, yes blood spatters out from where it tears???? Help.. am I too young to appreciate an aging poet's neurotic excretions? I wondered the same thing when I started watching Bridges over Madison County.. will I be able to relate to a mature, ripe and slower-paced perspective on life? In the case of Bridges, I was lured by the universally binding theme of love, kinship and romance, however removed it was from mine. In WACKO, not only did I have a hard time believing the protagonist but all of the supporting characters were caricature cut-outs of things you see in 80s sitcoms in North America: the venomous (and nothing else) x-wife, the apathetic (and disinterested and nothing else) young son, the students who are defined by their flatulence and interest in bodily injuries of their professor. I have to claim philanthropy for every character, not just the women because they are so one-dimensional and the protagonist is simply... boring. None of the details which are supposed to be quaint (his measuring coffee JUST so) resonate because there is so much repetition that you just want to tear your hair out waiting for the director to get to the point. By mid-way through the film, I have to admit to my beloved boyfriend (Zagreb born, UK raised) that this film has none of the imagination nor raw honesty of films like JAK DALEKO Z TAD, JAK BLISKO nor INTERROGATION because it's attempting to do something it considers to be "NEW" (ie. Poles are not historically about going on about mastrubation, crapping, suicide) ... I felt the same as when I went to a theatre in SZCZECIN a couple of summers ago and they did "Natural Born Killers" the stage version. Totally disappointing and unimaginative... I hope that the next thing to hit the circuit does not go where this film dragged the audience through.