Review of “All Our Fears”: In this true story, sexuality and religion collide

Daniel (Dawid Ogrodnik) is an activist and artist who spends his time supporting young queer people who have no one else. Viewed as a pariah by the people of his village, Daniel is shocked when his girlfriend Jagoda (Agata Labno) commits suicide after being relentlessly bullied about her sexuality. Daniel cuts down the tree that Jagoda hanged herself on, fashions it into a cross, and sets off on a journey to honor her.

All Our Fears, from directors Lukasz Gutt and Lukasz Ronduda, is based on the life of Polish gay visual artist Daniel Rycharski. The film is not a typical LGBTQ+ piece—there is no well-trodden coming-of-age story here. Instead, the film explores the way sexuality and religion coexist, and the tolerances and intolerances this can bring. Daniel wants the young queer people of his community to be able to live their authentic lives, but when Jagoda unexpectedly takes her life, Daniel searches both within and without to understand why it happened. He blames himself for the tragedy, and the people of the village are quick to pin the blame on him.

His actions after this tragedy are somewhat unorthodox. He organizes a Stations of the Cross procession to help Jagoda’s soul find peace, walking around like a biblical figure dragging a giant cross. The parallels to the story of Jesus are obvious and at times I felt distracted from the story of queer youth that the film is trying to tell. Although the film is only 90 minutes long, it is a slow process that will not appeal to every viewer.

The central performance of Dawid Ogrodnik is the real appeal of the film. Ogrodnik delivers an incredibly intense performance and fully immerses himself in the role of Daniel. Even when you’re not sure what to make of Daniel’s actions, Ogrodnik keeps you on his side and keeps you interested in what’s happening. He really is the main reason to watch this film and it’s not surprising that he has received so much attention for his performance.

All Our Fears is an unusual film and the story it tells is not one we’ve seen on screen many times before. It’s not as accessible as other entries in LGBTQ+ cinema, but it raises many interesting questions. If you’re particularly interested in the juxtaposition of sexuality and religion, you’ll get a lot out of it, but if not, you probably won’t find the story as engaging.

Pour: Dawid Ogrodnik, Maria Maj, Andrzej Chyra, Oskar Rybaczek, Agata Labno Directors: Lukasz Gutt & Lukasz Ronduda Authors: Marta Konarzewska, Michal Oleszczyk & Michal Pabian Certificate: 15 Duration: 90 mins Published by: Peccadillo Pictures Release date: June 2024 Buy “All Our Fears” now

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