“Lalka”

“Lalka” is a new film adaptation of Bolesław Prus’s novel, which has stirred the emotions of generations of readers for nearly 140 years. The production hits the big screen with a large cast. The leading roles are played by:

• Marcin Dorociński as Stanisław Wokulski,
• Kamila Urzędowska, known from “Chłopi”, as Izabela Łęcka,
• Marek Kondrat as Ignacy Rzecki, who returns to the big screen after 16 years.

The story unfolds in Warsaw at the end of the 19th century. Stanisław Wokulski returns home with a fortune earned in war. He is in love with Izabela Łęcka and decides to enter the world of the upper class to win her hand. Izabela comes from the aristocracy but faces financial ruin. Wokulski is accompanied by his friend Ignacy Rzecki, a romantic who watches with nostalgia as the world of ideals gives way to social ambition and the game of interests.

Wokulski enters aristocratic salons, where every gesture may spark an intrigue and every word may foreshadow betrayal. Rivals, unexpected alliances and difficult choices will test his dreams and his faith in people. The film tells of an infatuation that changes the characters’ fates and blurs the line between heart and reason.

The filmmakers tell this story with a contemporary sensibility, as a tale of love and unfulfilment, of aspiration and transformation, and of a world that is coming to an end. Great care has been given to production design, costumes and makeup.