O-bi, o-ba. Koniec cywilizacji

I only recently heard about this film and got it on DVD, watched it today. It's a bloody shame I never heard about it earlier because it's right up my alley and I imagine it could be the same for many of you due to its similarities to Metro and Stalker. It's called O-bi, o-ba. Koniec cywilizacji (in English: O-bi, o-ba. The End of Civilisation); it is a Polish science-fiction film from 1985, directed by Piotr Szulkin and starring - among others - Jerzy Stuhr and Krystyna Janda.



O-bi, o-ba is set in a post-apocalyptic future where the world is ravaged by a nuclear winter. The plot follows a rapidly diminishing society of survivors living within a dome-like, underground fallout shelter. Its protagonist is a man nicknamed "Soft", who works for the establishment as supervisor of maintenance efforts as well as being responsible for preserving the morals of citizens. Shortly before the atomic apocalypse, in an effort to save people (who were all acting irrationally out of fear), he and others created the myth of some cosmic "Ark" that would eventually arrive and rescue all those who flocked to said shelter.



Now, long after the war has passed and with no possibility of leaving the shelter due to the deadly conditions of the destroyed outside world, the population continues to fanatically believe in the Ark. Their religious fervour for this ideal has long outlived its usefulness for the authorities and led to a rapid decline of civilisation. While the concrete structure of the dome is gradually cracking, its inhabitants are unwilling to act. "Soft" is tasked with convincing an engineer gone mad to look into this, but his journey leads to many unsettling revelations. I'm not gonna go any further as to not spoil anything, but basically it's an engaging story with plenty of social commentary about the Polish People's Republic (stuff that would likely to an extent be applicable to and resonate among people from other post-Eastern Bloc countries too).



It's smart and keeps you hooked without any real action scenes or firefights. It's a fairly slow and depressing film, so if you're used to blockbusters then you may not find it enjoyable... I like these types of movies though, when they work they are so much more effective and meaningful. Finally, the atmosphere of O-bi, o-ba is really quite similar to that of Metro 2033 (only deeper and less inspired by pop culture) - with that Warsaw Pact vision of a post-apocalyptic society - quite darker and more inquisitive than many Western productions of its kind. To an extent it reflects how Poles felt after the end of martial law in Poland in the early 1980s. The decay and chaos shown in its environments, the way its scenes were shot, and the colours utilised throughout are extremely effective, each serving to give the film an incredibly cold aesthetic. All of this was achieved on a tight budget.



I cannot recommend this film enough, it really is one of those forgotten gems. If you're not Polish or Eastern European then it will probably seem even weirder to you and you many not understand a bit more of it than you would if you were raised in this region, but that could actually make it even more interesting to watch for you. Nevertheless, much of its messages are largely applicable to humanity in general. Sadly, nowadays O-bi, o-ba is not that easy to obtain even in Poland (I got it pretty cheap from allegro thanks to a friend, but if you try to get it through e-bay or Amazon then it will cost you a lot). Someone has put it up on YouTube, but none of those parts have subtitles as far as I know. My DVD copy does come with optional English subtitles, so in theory I could record it and upload it to YouTube for yous, however I shudder thinking about what that might do to my channel's standing (it's unlikely they would go after copyright for this as it's not a worldwide famous movie, but you never know).

 

Yeah, I get you, though I personally enjoyed watching it. It is slightly similar to The Road, but it's much more like Metro and Stalker to me. Even though it has some similarities to Mad Max, Salute of the Jugger and Fallout - at the same time it is distinctly Eastern European and feels very different to them.

 

Ok, if any of you would like to check it out, the full film (in 1080p with English subtitles) can now be found on YouTube. I'm embedding it below, though obviously you'll wanna go full screen. The translations are decent, but a bit awkward at times. Had I gotten the opportunity to translate it myself I would have done it a bit differently, however this'll have to do. Enjoy!

[YOUTUBE]5h3VKY_ihJg[/YOUTUBE]