Koterski, Marek

(1942-)

   Writer-director Marek Koterski is chiefly known for a series of exhibitionist, largely autobiographical, bitter satires featuring Adam (or Michał) Miauczyński, an unfortunate loser with intellectual pretensions who suffers from never-ending midlife crises and permanent writer's block. For example, in Nothing Funny (Nic śmiesznego, 1996), Cezary Pazura stars as the deceased filmmaker Miauczyński who tells the sad story of his life, where one misfortune follows another from the time he was in diapers. In this film Koterski laughs at himself, as well as mocks the filmmaking community in Poland—several (sometimes crude) gags ridicule its alleged lack of professionalism and stupidity. Pazura also starred in the next comedy about Miauczyński, I Love You (Ajlavju, 1999). Koterski's most celebrated film, The Day of the Wacko (Dzień świra, 2002), the continuation of Miauczynski's misfortunes, received the main prize at the 2002 Festival of Polish Films. The film relies heavily on the performance of Marek Kondrat, an actor who had also appeared in Koterski's earlier satire The House of Fools (Dom wariatów, 1984). In The Day of the Wacko he plays another incarnation of Miauczyński—a middle-aged teacher of Polish language who is struggling with himself, his environment, and life in Poland in general. In his episodic films Koterski skillfully plays with conventions and stereotypes; he also blends absurdist humor and well-observed situations with lavatory jokes and crude imagery.

   Other films: Inner Life (Życie wewnętrzne, 1987), Porno (1989), We Are All Christs (Wszyscy jesteśmy Chrystusami, 2006).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof