| There is indeed a death in Death Before the Wedding. While Mirek and his wife Regina are at their daughter Maja’s university graduation, they return to find the manager of the local dairy farm where they work has died. It’s an odd tone and and a weird plot, because in addition to supposedly being funny, all it has to do with the movie is creating a manager vacancy, and they occasionally make weird jokes. Personally I think if you’re naming the movie after a death that death should probably play a pivotal role. | | 2025
Directed by: Tomasz Konecki, Iwona Ogonowska-Konecka
Screenplay by: Tomasz Konecki, Iwona Ogonowska-Konecka
Starring: Tomasz Karolak, Agnieszka Suchora, Natalia Iwanska
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On to the actual plot. In some weird deal where the CEO of a big development company has purchased this local dairy farm in a small Polish town, he agrees to not shut it down in exchange for letting his wife plan Maja’s wedding. Again, I think that’s supposed to be funny, but good luck in finding any laughs in this incredibly awkward and just plain stupid set-up.
In a shocking twist, I haven’t even gotten to the worst part. I would love to chalk this up to a mistranslation, but I really don’t think that’s the case. The main obstacles of the plot, and the primary vehicle for these supposed jokes, is entirely built on racism and misogyny. Mirek the main character is the most obnoxious character they could have created and I’m pretty sure the audience is supposed to laugh whenever he says something insanely offensive and racist to his daughter’s black fiancée, or laugh whenever he says something about how women don’t know how to do anything.
Meanwhile, the women who work at the farm are hatching a secret plan to run for manager against Mirek. If it weren’t for cell phones and laptops, I would be convinced this was set at least fifty years ago and not today.
Maja, and especially the actress who plays her – Natalia Iwanska, is good. She’s very pretty and just effortlessly radiates all of Maja’s traits namely her independence, stubbornness and intelligence. Maja of course knows her dad is ridiculously misogynistic, but the whole thing still has a bizarre tone and feels awfully anachronistic with actual society.
I was mostly watching Death Before the Wedding in shock. That this somehow is supposed to make sense and actually be funny. Nobody born after 1940 is likely to find this funny or even be amused by it. The plot gets worse as it goes along and the racism and misogyny never become funny.
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