Nothing but Fear

Made in 1994, writer/director Barbara Sass' film delivers a harrowing insight into the life of a recovering alcoholic. Katya (a shockingly powerful performance by Anna Dymna) is a successful TV presenter whose career relies on her ability to present a controlled exterior at work, which is contrasted with her crumbling personal life, gruelling visits to a rehab centre, and the threat of relapse. Cameraman Wieslaw Zdort's use of colour underscores this adeptly - nights of drunken binging and alcohol-induced paranoia are given an intense palette of deep blues and neon reds, while the daily struggle to beat the booze is literally grey and bleached of colour. As Katya staggers towards the denouement, brought to a dramatic pitch by the actions of a young mother who joins the rehab group, the results are harshly realistic, but treated with sensitivity and restraint.