Tadeusz Lysiak’s live-action short film The Dress (Sukienka) shares a story of a disabled woman who longs for companionship. This topical film which addresses the crucial topics of disability and intimacy has screened at over 25 film festivals including the Oscar qualifying Odense International Film Festival and Krakow Film Festival. The Dress has won multiple Awards including the Oscar qualifying Award at the 2021 Atlanta Film Festival and has been shortlisted for a 2022 Oscar in the Live Action Short Film category.
Lust, sexuality and physicality. These are the deepest desires virgin Julie suppresses while working at a wayside motel. That is until she crosses paths with a handsome truck driver, who soon becomes the objective of her fantasies.
FMM: Tell us about “The Dress” what intrigued you the most about this story?
There are many things that intrigued me when I was writing the script for “The Dress”, some seem obvious, others are hidden beneath the film’s surface and need to be looked at. Of course, it is a film about a specific social topic, the film is about a short-statured woman, that is in some aspects rejected by society, but it is most importantly a story about certain universal emotions that lie dormant in all of us. About love, loneliness, lust, rejection … About little big emotions. About little big love.
FMM: Why was Anna Dzieduszycka the perfect fit for the role of Julia?
When I met Anna Dzieduszycka, I knew there was some kind of a magical story hidden in her, something mysterious, something worth exploring. I wanted the heroine of this movie to be an incredibly strong person, someone who never puts down her arms and one that fights until the very end. When I met Anna, I knew she would be the perfect person for the role. This is what she is!. Direct, smiling, and with a great sense of humor. You just can’t dislike her! She knew exactly what I wanted to tell and fell in love with the script. After our meeting, we both knew that we were preparing something extraordinary. I really wanted to use authentic casting for this film, and I’m extremely proud of Anna – although she is not professionally schooled in acting, she turned out to be a brilliant actress, one of the best I have ever worked with. This is also the result of her collaboration with two outstanding Polish actors – Dorota Pomykała and Szymon Warszawski. Without them, this movie would not exist. Together they were great acting support for Anna, and the film set was something of an accelerated acting course for her. So, I did. It was an amazing journey for me and the whole crew to make this movie – we knew we had something special and important to tell. You have to remember that “The Dress” is a student film, a diploma film that was made with a student budget as part of the Warsaw Film School directing program. We are far from the big productions from the West in terms of a film budget, but what we had was this group of talented young filmmakers and film friends that had this great passion, drive and immense willingness to tell this story. We just all really wanted to tell this story and we did everything to make it happen! With of course great support from my lecturers and mentors at school. For this I am very grateful to them all.
FMM: Tell us about the main character. Is she a complex person?
Julia is a complex person! In my opinion, we all are, without exception. And that is what is so beautiful about people, how we are emotionally built, how our minds are intricately constructed. There is also a lot of fear and confrontation in it. For example, look at the canons of beauty – every day, while walking down the street, we have to compare ourselves to the shapes and physicality depicted on billboards, Instagram, TikTok or magazine covers. We fall into madness, we never feel satisfied with our own body, we try to pursue an artificially built ideal, falling into further complexes, sadness and despair. “The Dress” looks at these emotions, sometimes directly and sometimes between the lines.
While creating this film, we could easily had fallen into a trap and presented Julia – the main character of the film – as a repressed, rejected and weak person. However, both me, Anna – actress – and Konrad Bloch – cinematographer – did not want to create such a story. From the very beginning, we knew that our heroine had to be incredibly strong internally, independent, and sometimes tough. Hence, for example, her taste in music – Julia listens to death metal, which is a great example of emotions buzzing in her mind.
FMM: Tell us about working with the talented music composer from Poland, Jan Ignacy Królikowski.
I really appreciate the way Jan Królikowski approached this film. We both knew that music would play a very important role in it, but we also knew that … there can’t be too much of it. And that’s what’s so great about Janek. He felt this movie with his heart and composed a very touching, minimalist musical theme for Julia that would convey all the subtlety of her feelings and what the movie is really about. I recommend looking up Janek on Spotify, the theme of “The Dress” is perfectly listened to while driving, and can put you in an amazing emotional mood.
FMM: What is the philosophy behind this film?
There is a lot of it. “The Dress” is supposed to be a film that provokes questions and doubts about the condition of our society. It tells about a specific story while touching on universal themes. Everyone gets something different from this film. Why do we sometimes condemn people to loneliness? Why do we judge so easily? Is there evil in everyone? Are we “all freaks” – as one of the characters of the film says? Do we have to fit into the canons of beauty? Do we have to be in the eternal pursuit of the unsurpassed ideal? Shouldn’t we begin to love ourselves as we are? You could ask yourself a lot of these questions. I encourage each of you to do it, let the film be only the initiator of the discussion.
FMM: Why do you think this film will resonate with audiences?
I think it’s because this movie is understandable all over the world, no matter where we live, what we are or what our mood is. This is a film about a specific problem, but a problem that actually affects all of us. Isn’t it that everyone has felt lonely at one time? Lots of people thank us for this movie. It feels great to know that we have created something that touches people’s hearts and emotions.
FMM: How have you evolved as a director?
I feel like I have grown enormously. All thanks to Warsaw Film School, which is a very unique place. They taught me everything there, and most of all – to grow as human being while practicing the art of making movies. This school focuses a lot on this, during our studies , dozens of short films are made, sometimes on given topics, sometimes on those we choose ourselves. The schools chancellor, dr Maciej Ślesicki, is a great director, screenwriter and educator who can perfectly prepare you for a filmmaker’s career. It is worth mentioning that Warsaw Film School produced the Oscar nominated short documentary “Our Curse”. It’s a really brilliant school, also with great International Studies.
FMM: Do you have any advice for aspiring directors?
Apart from going to study at Warsaw Film School? I think the most important thing is to ask yourself – what interests you in life, what hurts you, what would you like to change. The art of filmmaking has enormous power, it can change the world. Try to ask questions rather than answer them. Always be yourself, talk about what affects you personally. Never give up! Work hard, and the universe will finally give you a chance to tell your stories and it’s a bonus if someone will also want to watch them.
FMM: What is next for you?
I am currently working on my full-length debut with one of the leading Polish producers. It will be a thoroughly universal, modern, genre-based film – a psychological thriller. The working title is “Obsession”. I can’t reveal too much, but I guarantee you’ll be sitting on the edge of your chair … at least that’s what I hope!
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