The Big Animal

A middle-aged couple in an isolated, picturesque Polish village find a camel in their garden left behind by a visiting circus. When they subsequently adopt the creature, their relationship with fellow villagers, and particularly those officials handling bureaucratic licences, subtly changes. Some want rid of the new pet; others see it as a source of profit. Is it of use to the community, or a nuisance? Less rewarding and ambitious than actor Stuhr's earlier Love Stories, this gentle satire is nevertheless neatly observed, shrewdly performed, and not without interest as a parable about freedom, habit, bigotry, materialism and - yes! - love (for the exotic beast). If it all looks a little old-fashioned, well, it was written years ago by (somewhat surprisingly) one Krzysztof Kieslowski.