AWARD THIS 2023 NOMINEE! Pawel Lozinski’s unorthodox documentary, The Balcony Movie, is about life and meaning. The ambitious director sets up on his balcony with a camera and a boom mike (attached to a pole). As people walk past, he asks them about their lives, how their days are going, and what they consider the meaning of life to be.
As the film progresses, the people Lozinski talks to begin to break out of their shells more and more, slowly but surely. He talks to families, loners, felons, and children. He does all these interviews without ever leaving the comfort of his balcony, thus the title. This is why the film is unorthodox, as it is not every day that a documentary is made basically in one’s backyard. However, the filmmaker manages to do it with passion and fervor.
The Balcony Movie goes through many months, if not years, of people breaking out into a therapy session in front of this man’s camera and microphone. Many of them reveal how happy or sad they are after a loved one has passed. Some reveal hardships that they are going through, and others have accepted that their lives are genuinely terrible. It’s a mixed bag of emotions, and the film takes a look at how average, everyday people think, believe, and feel.
“…talks to families, loners, felons, and children…without ever leaving the comfort of his balcony…”
The moral of the film could be viewed as either pessimistic cynicism or jovial optimism, depending on how one looks at it through a certain lens. The film works as an ardent reminder not to waste your life. Each person has a story, and they are trying to find the best way to express themselves.
Younger viewers could easily dismiss Lozinski’s work as a long-form social experiment for YouTube. But I refuse to decimate his work in such a manner. He has the ability to turn the most mundane category into something interesting. When that is coupled with the unobtrusive camera set-up and simplistic setting, the result is pure bliss and will usher in a new era of filmmakers and content creators.
It’s unclear what Lozinski’s true motivation was for making The Balcony Movie, but he should certainly be proud of the results. It’s almost like a Rear Window-type documentary. What I mean by that is when Alfred Hitchcock made his 1954 masterpiece, the film was mostly shot inside of Jimmy Stewart’s apartment. The funny thing about that movie is that nobody ever once complained about it being built around one location for almost two hours. I didn’t even realize that until I got older.
All in all, The Balcony Movie is what happens when you have some equipment and imagination. There are no limits to what you can do. The topic does not matter. All that matters is what you do with the material you are given and if you feel like you have made an impact. Lozinski has made an incredible impact by collecting a mosaic of strangers who are trying to reach out and be heard in the only way that they can be.
The Balcony Movie is a 2023 Award This! Unreal Outsider Documentary nominee.
"…what happens when you have some equipment and imagination."
