polish migrants and migrant culture on the screen kris van heuckelom k.u.leuven, belgium...

Polish Migrants and Migrant Culture

on the Screen

Kris Van HeuckelomK.U.Leuven, Belgium

kris@vanheuckelom.be

UK 2007

UK 1982

The Grass is Greener

Everywhere Else

Germany 1989

The Ballad of the Windscreen

Washers

Italy 1998

The Polish Bride

The Netherlands 1998

Four Weeks in June

Sweden 2004

UK 2007

Strong identification of labor migration and Polish ethnicity

”Labor migrants are (often) Poles”

“Poles are (often) labor migrants”

Polish migrant culture on the screen?

Polish labor migrants as representatives

of the uncivilized East?

(euro-orientalism)

Six films, two categories

The action takes place

1. during communism

2. after the fall of communism

First category

1. Polish main characters

2. Rare & unpleasant contacts with locals

3. Tragic elements

Second category

1. Polish & local main characters

2. “Interethnic ” love story

3. The newcomer ”helps” the locals and ”solves” their

problems

The newcomers have ”potential” and have something to offer

to the local community

Polish “impotence”

Romance

YES

Marriage

NOT (YET)

Mixed marriages(the Hollywood way)

In the ”postcommunist” films the Polish characters fulfil a

new narrative role: they solve problems instead of creating

them.

The distance between locals and newcomers becomes smaller(but weddings take place in

Hollywood only!)

The emotional lability of Polish characters has given way to

emotional stability.

Polish Migrants and Migrant Culture

on the Screen

Kris Van HeuckelomK.U.Leuven, Belgium

kris@vanheuckelom.be