''Leave No Traces'' ( pl, Żeby nie było śladów) is a 2021 Polish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Jan P. Matuszyński. It was selected to compete for the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...

at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. It was selected as the Polish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the

94th Academy Awards The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles. The awards were scheduled after its u ...

. The film is based on the book ''Żeby nie było śladów'' by Cezary Łazarewicz, which received the Nike Award in 2017.

Plot

Jurek, the only witness to the state-sanctioned murder of high school student

Grzegorz Przemyk Grzegorz Przemyk (17 May 1964 – 14 May 1983) was an aspiring Polish poet from Warsaw, who was murdered by members of the Communist police force, the Milicja Obywatelska (Citizens' Militia). His killing was one of many such politically motiv ...

, is targeted by the government during the 1980s era of martial law in Poland.

Cast

*Mateusz Górski as

Agnieszka Grochowska Agnieszka Grochowska (born 31 December 1979) is a Polish film and theatre actress. Life She was born on 31 December 1979 in Warsaw. She graduated from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw, National Academy of Dr ...

Tomasz Ziętek Tomasz Ziętek (born 28 June 1989, Inowrocław) is a Polish film and theatre actor as well as musician and guitarist. Life and career Ziętek was born on 7 May 1989 in Inowrocław. He graduated from the Bolesław III Wrymouth High School No. 1 in ...

* Tomasz Kot *

Robert Wieckiewicz The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

Jacek Braciak Jacek Braciak (born 12 May 1968) is a Polish film and theater actor. He has appeared in more than 60 films since 1991. He received the Polish Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Edi'' and ''Rose''. Selected filmography * '' Edi'' (2002 ...

Aleksandra Konieczna Aleksandra Konieczna (born 13 October 1965) is a Polish film and stage actress. She is a three-time Polish Film Award winner for her roles in '' The Last Family'' (2016), ''A Cat with a Dog'' (2018) and '' Corpus Christi'' (2019). Her television ...

*Sandra Korzeniak as Barbara Sadowska

Reception

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gives the film 58% approval rating based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 6.20 out of 10. Wendy Ide of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' called ''Leave No Traces'' " meticulously detailed thriller", while Cath Clarke of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' said that "In the end, this film is never uninteresting but fails to gather enough pace or power for the slog of the marathon". Paul Whitington of the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' had criticized film's length but praised it for being a "conspiracy drama", adding that " t'sa lesson from history that remains depressingly relevant". Kevin Maher of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' said that " he film is adeep dive into student's murder is self-important". According to Guy Lodge of '' Variety'', the film is " moving but somewhat congested", while Keith Uhlich of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' described ''Leave No Traces'' as "Too torturous by half". While attending film's Venice screening, ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...

''s Valerie Complex wrote that "''Leave No Traces'' often feels formless and unremarkable".

References

External links

* 2021 drama films Polish drama films 2020s Polish-language films {{2020s-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links