Convicki. Issy Valley

“The Valley of Issa” is a return to the world of childhood - full of nature, mystery and the first attempts to understand reality. Adapting Czesław Miłosz's prose, Konwicki creates an atmospheric, visually captivating story about growing up in a space that today exists only in memories. The film takes us to the borderlands, where everyday life is intertwined with elements of fairy tales, and the observation of nature becomes a way of knowing the world and oneself. It is a story of initiation, first experiences, fascinations and fears that remain forever in memory. “The Valley of Issa” impresses with its calm rhythm, painterly photographs and subtle reflection on the passing and loss of innocence. It is a cinema that acts as a memory — tender, nostalgic, and at the same time extremely emotionally intense.

“Dolina Issy” is a poetic, dreamlike adaptation of the novel by Czesław Miłosz, which Konwicki — his compatriots from Vilnius — brings to the screen, combining literary sensitivity with the author's film language. The director enriches the narrative with poems by Miłosz, echoing against the backdrop of the New York landscape and emphasizing the experience of emigrant nostalgia and longing for the world of childhood. Although the eponymous valley tempts with tranquility and beauty of nature, beneath its surface hides anxiety, intensified by the music of Zygmunt Konieczny — creating a film story about memory, loss and ambiguity of returning to the past.