EPISODE

Janek is a high-school student obsessed with VHS and skateboarding. His mother Elizabeth, a lonely woman fascinated by serial killers, struggles with her son’s mental health crises. As her friend Bernarda tries to convince her that her son’s strange behaviour is due to some demonic possession, Janek experiences another mental breakdown, and his body and mind start to slip out of control.

Building on his short film Tremors, Episode is a coming-of-age story imbued with deep anguish, evil forces, and the unyielding energy of youth. As in his previous films, David Bodzak innovates in creating his own genre, blending drama and horror while staying clear of classical storytelling. Here, the story he tells is one a quest for harmony in chaos through fragmented narrative structure. Haunted by the exploration of violent impulses, guilt, and inner demons, the filmmaker’s body of work conveys a mystical darkness that permeates new Polish cinema. Furthermore, his taste for sophisticated visuals resonates with a wide range of contemporary cultural references, from video games to the retro nostalgia of film.