The Word
Directed by Anna Kazejak-Dawid
Written by Magnus von Horn, Anna Kazejak-Dawid
Poland, Denmark 2014
Most of Lila and Janek’s conversations happen over Skype or text messages. They’re rarely within 10 feet of each other, and yet they are madly in love, or whatever you call that insane obsessive need to own another human being that teenagers – and frankly lots of adults – have. The reason for this distance is the result of Janek having betrayed Lila’s trust, and she doesn’t want to speak to him until he does something to make up for it: kill the other girl. This conversation takes place through text online. There’s something darkly humorous about a sniveling kid, with his One Direction haircut, texting how utterly miserable he is without the one he loves, complete with little weepy-face graphics. But one trip onto Facebook or Twitter will show you this is a sadly realistic depiction of millennial relationships.
While the plot of Kazejak-Dawid’s The Word is not unlike a ripped-from-the-headlines episode of Law & Order, its focus is really on the breakdown of communication in a world where it’s easier to talk to anyone anywhere in the world. Lila’s parents are divorced, and while she can call and chat with her father, who lives in Copenhagen with his new family, at any time, none of it fulfills the void of not having him with her. Meanwhile, her relationship with her mother devolves into yelling and fighting, with neither being able to show any type of understanding of the other. This inability to really communicate and the loneliness and frustration that comes with that results in violence, and Kazejak-Dawid’s expresses this with empathy, and without condemning the characters for who they are or what they represent. The film pities them more than anything, and serves as more of a warning that this is where we’re headed, if we’re not there already.
Kazejak-Dawid’s vision probably wouldn’t have succeeded as well as it does without the complicated performance of Eliza Rycembel, making one of the most memorable film debuts that I can recall. The character of Lila could have been played straight-up as a calculating ice queen, like Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions (1999) for example, but I’m sure there’s a less dated example since teen dramas are loaded with these types of young women. But Rycembal imbues Lila with humanity and fear. When she gets the message from Janek that the deed has been done, the result isn’t a look of a satisfaction or an evil cackle. Instead the tough facade comes down as Lila realizes she’s in deep, the weight of her words are tied to her ankles dragging her to the bottom of the ocean. Rycembal, who Kazejak-Dawid says was about 20 when she made the film, believably conveys the complicated layers of a 14-year-old girl who thinks she’s a woman without a trace of personal contempt for the methods her character uses to feel loved, which would turn Lila into a two-dimensional caricature.
With a clear vision, fluid direction, and engaging, detailed performances, The Word is one of the most sure-footed films I’ve seen all year. It is committed to its story without compromise or pander, and contains a vital and timely message that challenges steadfast perspectives on right and wrong and how effective our words are on each other.