Patryk Łukaszewski
After relocating to rural Ireland, a defiant Polish teen finds himself at odds with everything around him - especially his father. Stuck in a place that feels nothing like home, their clashes simmer until rebellion turns personal, and the fallout becomes impossible to ignore.
After a traumatic encounter with a Christian priest, Robin turns to Black Metal as an act of rebellion and a path to liberation. But when a cult ensnares her in a ritual that binds her to their leader, and to God, she must fight to reclaim control of her life. As the lines between faith and fate blur, Robin comes to a harrowing realisation: there may be no escaping God’s plan.
This film follows Lydia, an insecure young artist grappling with loneliness and the belief that love will somehow “fix” her. When Kaya, the confident and sharp-tongued older sister of her best friend Emily, comes to stay, she mocks Lydia for never having been in love - cutting deep into Lydia’s fragile self-worth. Desperate for validation, Lydia turns to witchcraft in a reckless attempt to conjure the love she craves.
The spell works... too well. Kaya becomes obsessively infatuated with Lydia, showering her with attention and boosting her confidence in both life and art. But as Kaya’s love grows increasingly possessive and intense, Lydia realises the affection she conjured is not only unnatural but dangerous. In a bid to undo what she’s set in motion, Lydia must confront the cost of her desires, only to discover that in chasing fantasy, she may have lost the only real connection she ever had.
This thesis explores the representation of violence in the films of Austrian director Michael Haneke, focusing on how he implicates audiences in their consumption of cinematic violence. Haneke’s work is analysed as a critique of passive spectatorship and the normalisation of violence in media.
The study is structured around three key themes:
1. Structural violence and societal control
2. Psychological repression and Masochism
3. Audience Complicity
Throughout the thesis, Haneke is presented as a filmmaker who defies cinematic conventions to provoke ethical engagement, using discomfort and unresolved narratives to critique societal desensitisation to violence.
Patryk Łukaszewski is a Polish director and screenwriter whose work delves into themes of memory, grief, and identity. His films often explore familial tension and emotional rupture, blending naturalistic storytelling with dreamlike elements to create narratives that are both deeply personal and universally resonant.
His diverse filmography includes Jester, shot at the National Film School in Dublin, as well as Bloodbag and Dziadek, which were both made in Poland during his studies at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School.
Now based in Dublin, Patryk is currently developing two new projects: Lady Fire, a short fashion film, and Apples, a poignant exploration of loss and aging.
