Enthusiastic reviews of "The Lure" in US

Córki Dancingu (The Lure) by Agnieszka Smoczyńska, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, is presented in American cinemas since early February. It has been reviewed very well by film critics from USA.

The Lure better than La La Land

Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s debut can be seen in American cinemas since the first weekend of February. Although its distribution in the United States coincided with the success of La La Land – a big Hollywood production, many local critics choose and recommend the Polish proposition of a musical. “It’s sexy, fearless, fun, and unrepentantly nasty” says Odie Henderson from The Village Voice.

A scary fairytale ?

American film critics commend Córki Dancingu (The Lure) among other things, for its diversity of genres, crazy and unconventional style. “A mélange of a love story, a horror movie, a musical, and a fairytale, the film is as much of a riot as the club in which the mermaids perform, and unlike anything else currently playing in theaters” recommends Karen Han from cutprintfilm.com.

“The Lure is, at heart, a dark, wild riff on Hans Christian Andersen’s original The Little Mermaid crossed with a vampire/monster movie …” says Nick Schager from The Daily Beast.

Unusual space, unusual vibe

American critics also point out the unique atmosphere of Córki Dancingu (The Lure) as well as its scenography.

A. O. Scott from The New York Times says that “The film follows two mermaid sisters onto land, where they look for love, feast on human flesh and find work singing and stripping at a nightclub that might have come from an early David Lynch movie or a vintage-’80s music video”. The critic also appreciates the soundtrack “The musical numbers – written by Barbara and Zuzanna Wronska of the Polish band Ballady i Romanse — add a jolt of rock ’n’ roll energy and a swirl of camp decadence to a story …”.

“An aura of nonspecific nostalgia hangs in the air. We are not exactly in the present and not precisely in the past, but in a dreamy cinematic space where distinctions of genre and tone are pleasantly (and sometimes shockingly) blurred” enraptures the critic from New York Times.

Karen Han from cutprintfilm.com: “As such, The Lure is remarkable not just for its zaniness but for its willingness to let girls be girls. It’s not a luxury often afforded to female characters, especially not in horror”.

Nick Schager from The Daily Beast: “It’s a sterling whatsit of a debut, heralding an arresting new voice in international cinema and reconfirming the enduring vitality (and malleability) of the movie musical. Heed its surreal siren call”.

The American premiere at Sundance

It’s important to recall that the US premiere of Córki Dancingu (The Lure) was held at the Sundance Film Festival. Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s film won the Special Award in the World Cinema Dramatic competition and had an excellent reception at the festival.

The film can be seen in American cinemas from February 1st, 2017. The American distributor of the movie is Janus Film.

Jessica Zalewska