One of the filmmakers in focus this year at the Rotterdam Film Festival, is Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski. He has recently made his comeback with the film Four Nights With Anna, after many years without making any films. Moonlighting is an older film of his, from 1982.
Moonlighting is about four polish men, who travel from Poland to England to rebuild an entire house in a month. Only one of them, the protagonist played by Jeremy Irons, speaks english, and he has the responsibility to get everything done in time. In the meanwhile, the protagonist dreams of his girlfriend in Poland and pushes the Polish workers to work harder and harder. Hence the title; Moonlighting, which means working through long hours and nights.
What is fascinating about Moonlighting is how well the protagonist knows how to keep the men working, how to feed them, and keep them locked in the house, even when they have to go to church. You'd almost say he knows everything too well and you get suspicious about the director's own experiences. Was he ever involved in this kind of work? The film is so detailed and there are many practical jokes in the film, like a pick serving as an aerial when the protagonist just bought a television for the workers.
The details make Moonlighting a fascinating portrait of Polish workers who go abroad to work and earn money for their family. With some humorous and suspenseful scenes the film manages to keep your attention through the entire 97 minutes.
**** (out of 5)
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