Tom Wasilewski has described his latest feature "Floating Skyscrapers" as the first LGBT Polish film. As is the case with most LGBT films, "Skyscrapers" portrays the narrative of a young man revealing his homosexuality and seeking out the acceptance of the other major people in his life.
The film tells the story of Kuba (Mateusz Banasiuk), a young aspiring champion swimmer who lives with his girlfriend and mother. He lives an uneventful life and happily switches back and forth between good sex with his girlfriend Sylwia (Marta Nieradkiewicz) to the occasional backrub for his mother. However he is unsatisfied with his life. When he meets Michal (Bartosz Gelner) at a gallery opening, Kuba's life takes a big turn with his attraction for the stranger taking over his world.
From the beginning Wasilewski introduces Kuba's character as a lonely figure who is isolated from the world andhides behind "closed doors." The opening shot of the film sees Kuba inside a bathroom stool. The audience does not see him but they are subjected to hearing his masturbation sounds. It is not clear if he is doing it to himself or if there is another man with him. But it is understood that he does not want anyone to see him. Kuba is then seen alone in the locker room and then outside in an empty alleyway. At a gallery opening he attends with Sylwia, he is unable to interact with her friends and instead walks out. Even when he meets Michal he decides to converse in a more secluded area so no one can see him. However, Kuba seems to be attracted to Michal from the start as he is unable to look away. Despite this newfound magnetism, Kuba persists in ignoring his attraction by having more sex with Sylwia and giving his mother yet another back-rub.
Kuba's attraction eventually takes over and becomes impossible to control. During a gym work out, Kuba tries to appease his mind with all series of exercises - he does pushups, sit ups, and even swims but he has a hard time looking away from the other guys in the gym. As aforementioned the opening shot does not reveal if he is with another man but the second time that he is in the bathroom, Kuba is clearly with someone else. Wasilewski shows Kuba's face and his reaction. When the other man tries to give him a kiss, Kuba pulls him down as if he was ashamed of what he was doing.
The shame continues to dominate Kuba and during subsequent encounters with Michal, he makes sure to meet at isolated venues. For example he goes to a broken-down train and a parking garage. In this scene, he continually stares at the object of his attraction but fails to take initiative.
Kuba slowly starts to open up by bringing Michal to his house but with his girlfriend around, he is unable to engage in a conversation with him. Instead they have quiet dinner filled with tension. When he goes to Michal's apartment building, he is still unable to confront him and his parents. He watches from a window and cries. And when one of Michal's neighbors calls him a faggot he beats him up.
Wasilewski continuously builds the tension as he keeps the viewer wondering if Kuba will finally release the repressed sexual longing he has built throughout. Once Kuba is more comfortable with Michal, Kuba takes him and his girlfriend on a camping trip. There he is finally able to speak with Michal without feeling tense and even defends him over his girlfriend. During one scene, both boys bath in the river and gaze at one another for a few moments; one gets the feeling that this is where the sexual tension will break and that perhaps Sylwia will discover them. However Wasilewski breaks expectations. In another scene inside the tent Kuba starts off facing his girlfriend but when he is unable to sleep he turns around and hugs Michal. This is the moment that he is finally able to accept who he is.
From this instance Kuba is no longer the reserved shameful young man he was before. Instead he acts by instinct and by his feelings and is open about his relationship with Michal. While he would initially hide his encounters with Michal, Kuba no longer cares who seems them and where; it makes no difference is his girlfriend is around.
Actor Banasiuk is able to capture Kuba's remorse and inability to accept himself through his reserved and cool persona. Banasiuk starts off a quiet and controlled person. Each movement is still and subtle but as he evolves he is clearly tortured and unable to control his emotions; he fidgets in bed, cries and eventually unravels. When he is competing for a spot in the swim team, he is no longer able to continue and remains floating as if he no longer has control of his life.
Gelner plays Michal with more control and confidence, but reveals insecurity and fear when the time comes for him to fess up to his father. In one scene his mother tells him to go up to their apartment and he decides to remain in the car contemplative and fearful. But when he finally admits to his father that he is gay, Michal is completely disconnected from his family and in the only place he finds comfort is with Kuba.
Nieradkiewicz makes Sylwia an emotionally unstable girl. She does not live with her parents and Kuba's mother despises her. The only person that she truly has is Kuba. From the moment that he meets Michal she feels jealous of him even though there is nothing going on between the two men. Even when Kuba has sex with her, she is insecure of whether he is doing it to please her. Kuba has to reassure her every time that he loves her but that does not even satisfy her. And when she discovers the relationship between Michal and Kuba, it is clear that her whole world has become destroyed. In one poignant scene in the kitchen, Sylwia remains seated, speechless with all the emotions coming out. There are no tears but one knows exactly what she is feeling and how she may end up after this discovery.
Audiences that found films such as 2010's "Blue Valentine" and 2011's "Shame" unwatchable and controversial due to the sexual material will find it hard to swallow this film. There are some graphic images and many shots of nude men and women that will most likely turn audiences away.
Ultimately, Wasilewski confronts each character in a raw matter but he does it so effectively that he transports the viewer to the characters' world. The film is one of the most moving, poignant and magnetic films at the Tribeca Film Festival thus far.
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