Polish drama ‘Loss of Balance’ explores dark side of ambition in acting schools

The cast of Polish film "Loss of Balance," shortlisted for the Golden Goblet Awards Main Competition, discussed aspects of the drama at a crew meeting at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival on Thursday.

The film revolves around central character Maya (Nel Kaczmarek), a talented but self-doubting graduate of an acting school. She is exposed to a new director as she prepares with her classmates for their graduation performance.

Elevating Maya from a minor role to the lead character, the director reignites her passion and confidence in acting. Nevertheless, throughout the rehearsal process, Maya progressively realizes that she and her companions are succumbing to the director's psychological manipulation.

Explaining the inspiration for the film’s storyline, director Korek Bojanowski said that he was initially influenced by the experiences of his friends.

"When I was around 25, I was observing my friends who were losing their dreams," he explained. "And I was thinking about what happened to their dreams and why they failed to fulfill them."

When he learned that the same dilemma applied to students in acting schools, he decided to present it to film audiences.

"Mostly I wanted to portray the educational system being used in acting school. The methods the teachers used were physically or mentally violent towards the students," he said.

Lead actress Nel Kaczmarek shared her reflections on the struggles and transformations experienced by her character in the film.

"I employed extensive physical movements to depict her transformation from initial discipline to the awakening of self-awareness," she said.

She also said the presentation of the "play within a play" of "Macbeth" in the film posed a significant challenge for her.

The soundtrack composer, Wojciech Frycz, elaborated at the meeting on the sound design for pivotal scenes.

"Certain strobe effects and musical selections within the film are not mere isolated elements; rather, they are inherently linked to the characters' performances throughout the narrative," he said. "They are used to accentuate the characters' inner turmoil and conflict."