The movie
My Wonderful Wanda
Wanda, a Polish single mother of two boys back in Poland, works as the live-in caretaker of rich Swiss businessman Josef Josef is recovering from a stroke and Wanda, being a no-nonsense pragmatist, makes extra cash by servicing him sexually.
Length: 110 min
Country: Zwitserland
Language spoken: Zwitser-Duits, Pools
Language subtitles: Engels
Cast: AGNIESZKA GROCHOWSKA, MARTHE KELLER, ANDRÉ
JUNG, BIRGIT MINICHMAYR, JACOB MATSCHENZ
Director: Bettina Oberli
Release date: 2021
Description
DUTCH PREMIÈRE
Don’t be misled by its title: Bettina Oberli’s satire is many things - intelligent, funny, caustic, beautifully directed and very cleverly structured, to name a few - but sugary sweet isn’t one of them. Wanda (Agnieszka Grochowska, perfect), a Polish single mother of two boys back in Poland, works as the live-in caretaker of rich Swiss businessman Josef (André Jung), 70. Josef is recovering from a stroke at his sumptuous lakeside family villa, and Wanda, being a no-nonsense pragmatist, makes extra cash by servicing him sexually. When she becomes pregnant, the haut-bourgeois family - Josef’s wife Elsa (an amazing Marthe Keller), brittle daughter Sofie (Birgit Minichmayr, also great), and bird-loving son Gregi (Jacob Matschenz) - comes apart at the seams…
For an often-biting critique of the haves (the Swiss) vis-à-vis the have-nots (the Poles), Oberli’s comedic drama is, perhaps surprisingly, winningly humane. It is also an absolute pleasure!
Don’t be misled by its title: Bettina Oberli’s satire is many things - intelligent, funny, caustic, beautifully directed and very cleverly structured, to name a few - but sugary sweet isn’t one of them. Wanda (Agnieszka Grochowska, perfect), a Polish single mother of two boys back in Poland, works as the live-in caretaker of rich Swiss businessman Josef (André Jung), 70. Josef is recovering from a stroke at his sumptuous lakeside family villa, and Wanda, being a no-nonsense pragmatist, makes extra cash by servicing him sexually. When she becomes pregnant, the haut-bourgeois family - Josef’s wife Elsa (an amazing Marthe Keller), brittle daughter Sofie (Birgit Minichmayr, also great), and bird-loving son Gregi (Jacob Matschenz) - comes apart at the seams…
For an often-biting critique of the haves (the Swiss) vis-à-vis the have-nots (the Poles), Oberli’s comedic drama is, perhaps surprisingly, winningly humane. It is also an absolute pleasure!
