Biopics are often incredibly wholesome and optimistic, and the Johnny review shows that optimism is just one of the beats that these films can hit. This film stars Dawid Ogrodnik, Piotr Trojan, Beata Zygarlicka, Grazyna Bulka, Maria Pakulnis, Joachim Lamza, Marta Stalmierska, Jakub Nosiadek, Anna Dymna, Witold Debicki, Magdalena Czerwinska and Michal Kaleta, alongside other cast members. Daniel Jaroszek joins the crew as the director, while Maciej Kraszewski serves as the screenwriter in this crew.
– Johnny Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
This writer must admit that they didn’t know it was a biopic and was about to judge this film truly harshly when it came to realism. However, the fact that this person’s life seemed more than realistic is quite a fantastic subject for the biopic. Additionally, having someone else narrate his story in the film to encompass the person’s impact on other people’s lives is a fascinating angle to take when it comes to the film.
There are parts in this film that sometimes don’t gel well together or have too much context crammed into a few shots because there isn’t much time. Johnny would have been better as a four-five part mini-series chronicling his impact towards the people he helped as well as the students he took under his wing as a way to show that compassion and rehabilitation are all people need to be good human beings.
Moreover, it felt like there wasn’t enough build-up for the kind of stories they wanted to present. If they really had the opportunity to make something with the help of multiple production houses, they might have invested that time and money into something more breathable. There was an intense pace at which the story was moving. Too many things happen when there isn’t enough time to explain anything or have audiences breathe during difficult moments.
It must be acknowledged the writing is quite good, and the dialogues are heartbreaking and moving when it needs to be and even though the structure of this film leaves something to be desired. The acting is top-notch and saves the film. Piotr Trojan and Dawid Ogrodnik’s portrayals of Patryk and Jan are brilliant and really define the relationship between the two characters. Additionally, the cinematography too made a big difference in the aestheticism of the film.
Even when there were inaudible dialogues, the cinematographer and director did a fantastic job of representing it well through body language and emotion. As mentioned above, having a third person recount his story, even within the biopic, does a good job of doing justice to his impact on people but doesn’t help in keeping him in the centre of the story. If the film is about Jan Kaczkowski, then he should be carrying the frame and the scenes. However, it seemed more like Patryk’s story than his.
Furthermore, it would have never been understood that this film is about the Priest unless there hadn’t been some indication of that towards the end. It doesn’t bode well if people are unable to pick out who the protagonist is in the story. It could be a genius move if the person this film is based on decided to shift focus from himself and highlight people who actually need help. This movie had a lot of potential to be good, but the story structure and the lack of foresight when it came to writing really plunges all the good aspects of this film.
Johnny Review: Final Thoughts
This writer would recommend people watch this movie if they had time to kill and were looking for something mildly interesting to watch. Additionally, this film about rehabilitation and love curing well would have worked extremely well if it was made just a few years before. Although that shouldn’t be expected from a biopic, it would have been better if they had adapted the story better for a modern audience.
The Polish filmmaking community thoroughly enjoyed this film, and it makes sense why. Perhaps, this film works well in that cultural context and the context they would be bringing when they come to watch the film. However, the writer didn’t think this film was groundbreaking but does a good job of telling the story of two people who needed each other more than anything.
Johnny is currently streaming on Netflix. What did you think of the biopic? Let us know in the comments below.
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