Zabawka: A Strange Sort of Polish Melodrama

Is this thing worth your time?

If you like old, dusty dramas that feel like they were pulled out of a time capsule from a different planet, you might dig Zabawka. It's not for people who need constant movement or modern editing. If you get impatient with folks staring longingly at trees or hiding in huts, skip it. Honestly, it’s a bit of a weird trip.

So, we've got Latoszynski, who is supposedly a big deal landowner, chasing after Lulu. She's a dancer, which is a classic trope. Then his son, Jurek, shows up and the whole thing gets awkward real fast. I mean, talk about a family dinner gone wrong. 🙄

The forest-keeper's house tangent

The middle part of the movie spends a suspicious amount of time at the forest-keeper's place. Lulu ends up hiding out there, and she meets Kuzma. It’s like the movie forgot the plot for about twenty minutes just to show us some trees and moody lighting. I wasn't complaining, though. The pacing is weird, but it has a charm.

Zula Pogorzelska is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She makes the whole 'damsel in a costume' thing feel slightly more grounded than it probably is on paper. There’s a scene where she’s walking with Jurek, and the chemistry is just… weirdly stiff? It reminded me a bit of the awkwardness in Spiel um den Mann, where people look like they’re waiting for a bus instead of flirting.

That tree though

Look, we have to talk about the ending. Kuzma gets jealous—real jealous—and decides the best way to handle a love triangle is to fell a tree on the guy. It’s so blunt. It’s not a graceful moment. The tree just sort of… happens. It’s like the director said, 'we need an ending, let's just make it fall.' 🌲

• The outfits are genuinely impressive.
• The dialogue sounds like it was written by someone who had never actually met a young person.
• The way they transition between scenes is sometimes just a hard cut to black. Very jarring.

It’s not as polished as The Circus Queen Murder, which had a bit more of a rhythm to its madness. This one feels like it’s held together by tape and pure willpower. Still, I’m glad I watched it. There's something honest about how messy it gets. Don't go in expecting a masterpiece. Go in expecting to be a little confused by why a grown man is attacking a tree in 1933.