Cztery pory roku (1985) - full transcript

An autobiographical tale of the director. He and his family live in the country in a desolated, wooden house. They pass their days on contemplation as they live off the land. He likes to spend his time blindfolded, so that he can turn to his innermost senses. His wife collects herbs and flowers. They have a number of pets. He and his brother spy on a neighbor, a fat woman, who bathes naked. Then his parents visit; his father is very old and not well and they try to make his last days happy.

This is the Hollow.

Our summer house.

We built it ourselves.

Six or seven years ago.

My peers
who don’t exercise

look like old bats.

Before the bridge was built,
I used the alder to cross.

Spring spate
washed the tree roots.

The tree fell at night.

Our nettles.

Nettles are very healthy.



Full of mineral salts
and vitamins.

Young nettles
make great juice.

Rain.

I like rain.

This is my husband.

That’s Aza.

The neighbours’ dog.

She spends her life
on a chain.

There is only one problem.

When she’s in heat,
Kuba goes crazy.

Kuba is our dog.

We found him in a ditch
by the road.

He was lying there,
his front paws shattered.

He was hit by a car.



He spent two months
in a cast.

I can’t allow new dogs
to be born into this world,

just to be drowned or
abandoned to starve.

I can’t take care
of all the stray dogs,

even though
I’d love to.

The cat is from the kids
who weren’t allowed to keep it.

Pikutek, the magpie, is
from our neighbour.

Poor thing fell out of the nest.

It can’t fly yet.

And another…
Another poor puppy.

Kuba became
a father again.

It was just summer.

Why are the trees
so beautiful in the fall?

Marynia…

So colorful before
falling asleep.

There are no colors,

for there is no colorful
electromagnetic wave.

There are only different
vibration frequencies.

It’s your brain that
produces colors.

Sound…

There is no sound either.

There’s only an acoustic
vibrating wave

with a frequency ranging
from 16 to 20 000 Hz.

Is this also a wave?

Maybe I’m a wave
to you too?

Why is the light on?

Because I keep thinking,

that they’re still there.

Andrzej Kondratiuk
presents

FOUR SEASONS

Come down to earth.

Give me your hand.

- How are you feeling?
- Great.

- Your head isn’t spinning?
- No.

Hell’s bells, you have
more grey hair.

- Where?
- In your beard.

Time to come up with
some stronger herbs.

I’ll have a look
in my herbarium.

Marynia, light it, put the flame
to the rose.

- Never.
- Just pretend you want to burn it.

Oh, dear.

Is she afraid?

Are you scared?

No, because you’re with me.

You’re definitely scared.

No, Kuba.

Get away!
Leave her alone.

Get away from Aza!

Kuba!

Go home, Kuba! Go on!

Go home!

My darling doggie,
what have you done?

Poor Aza will have
puppies again.

You know that I love you
and I can’t stay mad at you

but you did a bad thing.

A very bad thing.

Beautiful little puppies
will be born,

and Ms Julia will drown
them in the stream.

Or she’ll give them
to her neighbours

and they’ll spend
their lives on chains.

Or it can also be,

that she’ll keep
the prettiest one

and give poor old
Aza to a dogcatcher.

And Aza will be no more.

Aza will die.

Because of our Kuba.

See what you’ve done, Kuba?

Marynia!

Marynia, come see.

I love you, I love you.

I only want you.

Tell me, tell me…

how many frogs have you had
before me?

You’re awful.

Life…

Life.

Don't blame Kuba.
Blame nature

or the Creator, if a creator
of worlds truly exists.

What comes to be under laws
of nature, must come to be.

Biorobot Aza generates

a signal called “in heat”,
biorobot Kuba receives it and

due to subtle biochemical
and bioelectronic processes

he gives in to an urge which
he fucking has to give in to.

And he does!

Because he’s controlled!

So the creator has no mercy
for a poor bitch

kept on a chain
birthing puppies

which will also spend
their lives on chains?

No, no.

Nature knows no mercy.

If nature knew

what it meant,

evolution would have ended
at the stage of protozoa.

Why?

Only they are immortal,

because they reproduce
through division.

They divide, and divide

and divide and no one dies.

And you miserable, drunk man
would like to live forever?

No,

but I’d like to live long enough
to understand all the things

I can’t understand
if my life is short.

Pour more water.

That’s your swing?

That’s my cradle.

Complete isolation. You see
nothing, hear nothing.

Once in motion,
you lose your benchmark.

Cut off from stimuli,
brain activates itself

by creating its own signal.
You want to activate your brain?

Is this spinning long?

Only two years.

- It’ll make electricity?
- It will.

Power grid is not enough?

It’s alternating current,
I need direct.

I like it the way it is.

Spinning selflessly.

Mother is very tired
with father.

What?

Mother is very tired
with father!

When were you
to see them?

A week ago.

Mommy sends her love.

One more fell off
the cart.

Deft pass
to the right defender.

Pawlak keeps to the right,
leaves the ball to Matysik.

The Belgians have the ball.

We don’t see much
from our vantage point,

we’re far from
the foul line,

almost behind the track,
here on the stadium.

Pawlak was fouled. He’s
getting ready for the free kick.

Spot kick.
Where are our players?

Adamiec is there,
with one of the defenders.

You know, we’ll have to build…

…a bridge and
a comfy shitter.

You know what I’m
most afraid of?

What are you
most afraid of?

That it all might be too late.

Too late.

You’re thinking about dad.

I too am afraid
of the telegram.

Well,

I think father will be pleased.

And mommy?

Mommy…

…should be happy that
she’ll be with her sons.

Sons.

A bull inseminated a cow,

the cow went into
painful labor

and a beautiful calf
saw the world.

Stop or I’ll cry.

We’ll cure and smoke it.

It’ll be enough meat for
the entire stay.

The work of nature
is infinitely wise.

What idea is that

for one to eat the other?

You can live on beans
and lettuce.

I’d rather live on

the sun

and photons.

In the end

it’s all about…

It’s about energy.

Do something with those beans,
they have overgrown my cables.

There can be a short circuit
if I start the generator.

- Can’t you wait?
- I really can’t.

Beans are bothering him.

Do you know that in
the Balkans

people who eat
beans with oil

regularly make love
to their wives

when they’re a 100 years old.

And when they’re a 140,

they climb high mountains.

They eat nothing but
beans with oil?

They also eat dark bread,

crab apples

and drink milk straight
from their sheep.

We have to buy some sheep.

Janusz, you want to
see something?

- What?
- Come, come.

Hot diggity!

Don’t lean out.

- Hide.
- Quiet!

See?

No, a branch
is blocking my view.

Wait.

Pikutek, my darling!

You’re all grown up.

You’re of age.

You have pretty feathers.

A great world awaits you.

Why don’t you come back
to us for a while?

Remember, Pikutek,
that no one there likes you now.

Everyone wants to eat you.

A fox, an owl, crows.

Don’t trust people either.

You’re free.

You’re a free magpie.

A thieving magpie.

Fly, little magpie, fly.

Be happy.

Fly, Pikutek,

fly.

- What’s this?
- A litter for your father.

- This?
- We have to carry him.

Well, that’s great.

Is it comfy? Show me.

Go ahead, sit.

Oh, I think it’s hard.

It might not
be hard for him.

And a crossbar for his feet
so he can keep them up.

Well, you built it beautifully.

Hey, what, what?

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

catch a tiger by the toe.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,

if he hollers let him go.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,

catch a mouse by the toe.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,

if he squeals let him go.

Bravo, bravo!

Thank you, king, thank you.

- With a feather or without?
- With a feather.

What’s up, Kuba?

Give him some
more feathers.

- Two more.
- Yes, two more feathers.

Kuba. Good boy.

- Oh, he built a bridge.
- He worked all night.

This is a bridge, the bridge,
this is our bridge.

May this construction

serve us

and our descendants

and the descendants
of our descendants!

Our hearts are filled with joy.

I consider the bridge opened.

This is the bridge.

This is the bridge!

This is the bridge,

whose strong arms

hold together

two banks

of a deep river.

And this river

falls into the sea.

There are seas and oceans
in the world!

That’s an undeniable fact.

Just like an undeniable fact is,

that on one side
of the deep river

lives one brother,

and the other brother
lives on the other side.

And now these two brothers

can meet in the middle

of this river
on this very bridge

and exchange…

…let me say, bam, bam, bam...

I will say it, won’t I?

A handshake.

- Family! Family!
- My turn. Artistic part.

- How many kilometers is it?
- Why?

We might run out of gas.

- 30 plus 150 times 2.
- 360.

We have enough.

And if the journey
is too tiring for them,

you’ll spend the night
in Warsaw.

Yes, yes.

We’ll spend the night
at our place.

I have a favour to ask.

Buy me coffee and
some good cigarettes.

- We will.
- Consider it done.

Dad, how do you feel in the
house your sons built?

I’m happy with you.

Happy.

Let’s toast father’s health.
Pour some wine.

To your health.

I’m touched.

Here’s to you.

Here’s to a long life.

To a long life.

Give me a cane and a hat.

Beautiful, dad, beautiful.

Bravo, dad, bravo.

Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Bravo.

Why did you get up there, son?

Careful, the branch might break.

Janusz, take the cat.

Mum and I
are going shopping.

Watch Kuba so he doesn’t
chase the car.

And I left the house opened.

And remember to wash it
down with compot.

- And herbs at two.
- He’ll scratch me.

Marynia and I are
going shopping.

You need something?

Dad, we’re going shopping.
Is there something you need?

A saucy blond.

Come off it, at your age?

Janusz, keep an eye on dad.

Keep an eye on dad.

I’ll move you into the shadow.

There.

Here.

Break.

Done.

She’s here.

She’s putting soap on,
I have time.

Dad,

you want to see
something cool?

A saucy blonde.

Come on.

The Empress.

- Good morning, mum.
- Good morning, son.

You’re washing again?

I wash his things
every day.

I wonder, who needs
your ordeal,

who needs his suffering.

- Someone out there…
- But who, mum? Who?

You don’t even know, son, how
much I love you.

Here, Aza, here.

What do you need
this pyramid for, son?

So much work and
so much money.

What do you mean, mum?

I think that phenomena

that occur in 1/3 of the height
of the pyramid

can be used not only
to sharpen razors.

What is that on your neck, son?

Once, a lightning
hit the sand.

It’s molten silicon.

And this bracelet?

It’s copper which I really like.

You remember anything from
your childhood?

- I do.
- What did you do?

I wanted to blow up
my aunt.

You wanted to blow up
the whole house.

Don’t be mad, I’d like
to talk to you.

Can you hear me?

Can you see me?
Understand me?

You don’t want to talk to me?

You don’t want to talk to me?!

You’re silent…

I will hurt you.

You’re scared.

Of course, I’m scared.

I feel like a rat in a cage.

I look at dad
and I see myself.

Not long from now.

Not to worry you but
those things are hereditary.

We’ve inherited
a genetic code.

Damn it.

I plan my life as short
and merry.

Everyone says it until a certain
age. Wait a little longer.

For what? Getting senile?

If one could only change that.

Control the genes
and repair them.

You know what it means
in practice?

Eternal youth!

I wish you this with all
my heart, dreamer.

Thank you, thank you.

Do you know,

do you realise that
your genes

are affected by, among other
things, cosmic radiation?

Radiation? Maybe…

Let’s think what else
we can do for our father.

Daddy,

you’ve always said,

that to live means to learn,

not to vegetate.

I’m experimenting.

Look, what’s that?

A pyramid.

A pyramid, a perfect form.

Space restricted

by four triangles.

A pyramid…

- A form…
- A perfect form.

- Space…
- …restricted…

- restricted…
- by four…

- by four...
- triangles...

This space will be
favorable to us.

This spa…

And the cosmic radiation…

- and the cosmic radiation...
- won’t strike us.

- Won’t strike us.
- Come, let’s go there.

Careful, son, careful.

Like this.

Careful, careful.

Watch it, careful.

Lead the way, son,
lead the way.

We’ll get there son,
we’ll get there.

All is well, we’ll get there.

Let go, son, let go.

My turn now. I’ll do it.

Light...

Light...

Our furnace.

Your cradle.

Destroyed.

Oh, traces of Pikutek.

Pikutek!

Pikutek!

What are you doing?
Ridiculing your father?

No, I’m trying out
what I’ll become.

So, there is
no other way for us?

Just this path?

For now.

The only way to immortality
is this, look.

Our dogs are with Aza now.

STARRING

WITH VOICES OF

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
CINEMATOGRAPHY

PRODUCTION MANAGER

MUSIC

EDITING

SOUND

WITH THE COOPERATION OF

DIRECTORIAL AND CINEMATOGRAPHY
COOPERATION

PRODUCTION

LABORATORY & SOUND

Translated by: Emilia Puszczyńska