DEMON

Israel/ Poland, 2015, 94 minutes, Colour.
Italy Tiran, Agnieszka Zulewska, Andrzej Grabowski.
Directed by Marcin Wrona.

Demon is an Israeli-financed film but set in Poland. It takes place over two days, a young engineer coming from England for a wedding ceremony. He is working for his prospective father-in-law and prospective brother-in-law. The night before, he is in the house and contemplating the building of a swimming pool. He discovers some dead bones and is reassured that they are from a dog.

The next day the ceremony is held. It is a Catholic ceremony, presided over by a priest who comes to the reception. However, during the reception, the groom is possessed by the spirit of a dead woman, whose remains are in the pool.

The intriguing aspect is that this is a Catholic setting up of the woman who is dead is Jewish, and a Dybbuk, and takes possession of the groom, leading to strange experiences, the priest unable to exorcise only to say prayers, the in-laws covering the episode and getting people to eat, drink and dance, with the Jewish doctor explaining what is happening.

The film offers no further explanations and leaves everything to the audience to ponder.

1. A Polish film? Finance from Israel? Jewish themes? the languages, Polish, English, Yiddish?

2. The Polish setting, the isolation, the river, Peter travelling on the punt? The locations, the building? The equipment? The wedding, ceremony, the wedding night and reception? The musical score?

3. The title, and Dybbuk’s story, the traditions of the Dybbuk, the dead Jewish person taking possession of another to get a life?

4. The Catholic context, the ceremony, the priest at the ceremony, at the reception, seeking his advice, his prayer, invocation of St Michael? The discussions about the possession?

5. The situation, Peter, the engineer, his fiance, her father, the prospects for business, his brother-in-law and his friend? The plans? His living in England, the wedding and the return to England?

6. The night, the rain, Peter falling into the hole, discovering the skeleton?

7. The wedding, the ceremony, the reception, Peter and his wife and the sexual encounter, the guests, the drinking, the dancing, the speeches?

8. Peter, his becoming possessed, calling the tractor Hana, the continued appearances, his position? Her presence at the dance?

9. His father-in-law and the others going out, site of the swimming pool, finding the skeleton, the skeleton of a dog, Peter insisting it was human?

10. The teacher and his reminiscing about the past?

11. The doctor, his drinking, Jewish, his knowing the folklore? Treating Peter? The explanations of what was happening?

12. The bride, her reaction, concern, her father and mother, keeping the guests occupied and covering for what was happening?

13. Peter, his behaviour, the confrontation, the spirit? Asking the priest for advice?

14. The film stopping, questions about the future?