THE BIG ANIMAL

Can somebody love a camel? This question, posed in a script written by a young Krzysztof Kieslowski, compelled renowned Polish actor/director Jerzy Stuhr to make a fable exploring just that. Abandoned by a departing circus troupe, the camel of Stuhr's film wanders into the home of a middle aged couple, the Sawickis who adopt the beast as a pet In no time the town photographer is coveting the camel to drum up his business, the tax clerk wants to levy charges on the animal, though he has no idea how Gawkers and mischievous children plague the couple, whilst others have designs on the camel's luxurious hide which would make a warm coat Stuhr has adapted Kieslowski's first fictional work, written in 1973, blocked by communist intervention and only rediscovered in 1998 "I had read the script of my friend-then a young man-but how to make moviegoers believe that a camel can be loved? Because if people believed in that kind of cautionary tale, they might as well believe in a more important message: by choosing something that isnt understood by normal standards, we bring upon ourselves loneliness, ill-feeling and the anger of others This film shows how intolerance is bred "— Jerzy Stuhr Winner of the Jury Prize at Karlovy-Vary 2000