1 ,,300 miles to heaven”
2 Basic information Type of the movie: drama Production: Denmark, France, Poland Premiere: 1989 Directed by: Maciej Dejczer Scenario: Cezary Harasimowicz, M. Dejczer
3 Basic information Awards: Cannes (1990)for the best film, Feniks for the best film of the year, the best director, the best scenarist, the best composer, Złote Lwy for the best debut, the best movie, Złote Kaczki for the best director
4 Summary The main characters are two brothers, primary school children, brought up in a good but poor family. They live in the times of the communist regime, in very modest conditions, their house resembles a chicken coop. In this small booth lives a family that consists of four people living on craft work. The father is an honest and hard-working man, but the system does not let him work in peace. He was ordered to pay such high taxes that the family is destitute. The boys decide to escape to the West.
5 The boys preapre for a long time to their journey watching lorries loaded on the ferries to Sweden and they discover the way of escape. They want to hide under the lorry and get to Sweden. The road is very hard for them. They are hungry, dirty and cold…
6 The hardest moment for them was at the border, but this stage of escape they somehow manage to deal with. When they finally arrive to Sweden, they are in another world. They are taken care of immediately. They get new clothes, food, room, and even pocket money. They become the heroes of the media.
7 The brothers miss their home, but parents harassed by the communist decide that the boys stay in Sweden. The father cries while talking with his son on the phone, but he knows that his children will have a better chance of development and that they will live in a free world. The boys send their parents the money received from the authorities of the new homeland and agree that they will help them in the future.
8 Interpretation The film is convincing because it is based on facts. The young boys made a decision concerning their future alone, they demonstrated their courage, physical and mental strength, and took responsibility for the decisions. It was not only an immature prank on their side. They wanted to relieve the plight of the parents, because they knew how they suffer because of the reason that they cannot afford to meet the needs of children. Despite of homesickness the boys decided to pursue their dreams. They took fate into their own hands. The escape of the two brothers from the village Żyraków, 15-year-old Adam and 13-year-old Christopher, is one of the most daring cases of illegal penetration from the Eastern bloc to the West in the history.
9 After the furious Polish officials deprived the boys’ parents parental rights, and the Swedish media publicized the case of minors refugees, brothers Zielińscy granted asylum in Sweden. The first four years they spent in the foster family, then they lived together, and later Adam became the legal guardian of his brother. None of them has decided to return to Poland for good. Four years after escaping Maciej Dejczer, an aspiring film director best known for the so-called documents about troubled youth, decided to move their dramatic story to the big screen.
10 The Zielińscy brothers watched the movie for the first time on Maciej Dejczer Congress of Human Rights in Strasbourg in Many years later the older brother Adam in an interview for "Gazeta Wyborcza", said: "The film was more spectacular than our escape. On the other hand, it did not show everything: cold, fear.” Krzysztof Zieliński Adam Zieliński
11 Opinions of the students,,This film made a great impression on me when I watched it for the first time. It shows great frustration with life in the final period of the communist regime. The boys’ father, a history teacher lost his job for being honest and they had to live in poverty. The boys, young but extremely mature wanted to support their parents by escaping to a better the world. And this dramatic scene of a conversation between the son and his father who said significant words: "Jędrek! Do not come back here ever again!" This scene I will never forget!”. Tomek, III TI ,,This is one of the saddest movies ever made. I remember watching it a long time ago and it made a huge impression on me. I have watched it recently and my feelings are the same. It has sad, poignant, almost depressing atmosphere. The actors are very good. The pictures combined with the music of Mr. Lorenc, create a unique atmosphere. The words which Jędrek says to his dad about his hard work and thet they really have nothing, is one of the most depressing scenes in the cinema’s history. Beautiful film.” Adam, III TE
12 ,,The film is about dreams, brothers’ love and searching for freedom,,The film is about dreams, brothers’ love and searching for freedom. It has really moved me. This dangerous trip to Sweden turns out to be a kind of asylum, however the boys want to get back to their parents, they send them money… It is shocking that the boys’ father can say to them that they should never come back… Anyway, what kind of future would they have? At the time when it became so popular to go to other countries, people could think about the meaning of their life - whether the money is so important when the family is far away ???” Ania, II LO ,,I thought the film would be far more shocking but the scene with the telephone conversation was really touching. The boys played really well, especially the younger one who was very funny! I had a great laugh because of his sense of humour. But generally speaking the film is quite depressing and it shows Poland during hard times… When I was a child I dreamt about driving like the boys in the movie, well my imagination was really huge, but now I understand the problem of the film… Moreover, beautiful music, especially during the escape and shocking interview of parents with children in the final scene… „ Krzysztof, IV TB