The Police Officer’s Wife
A young couple who, at first glance, appear happy. She finds fulfillment as a mother, teaching little Clara how the world works. Her smiling husband is a police officer. Behind closed doors, however, the reality of their home life is not so colorful. Feeling defeated as a result of his unspoken and unfulfilled aspirations, he begins to beat his wife. Soon, the only colorful thing left in their life together are her bruises. Divided by aggression, their compulsive love – for each other and for their child – keeps them together. Philip Gröning has made a film with incredible emotional power. Fully aware of this, he dresses his film up in a formal manner, dividing it into sections of varying lengths, sometimes lasting several minutes, sometimes mere seconds. Black, numbered frames soften the blow a little by giving the audience the back-story. The Police Officer’s Wife is a film that it is difficult to relate to. While painful, however, finding a way to relate to it might just change your life.
Anna Tatarska
awards
IFF Venice 2013 - Special Jury Prize
Philip Gröning
Born in 1959 in Düsseldorf, Philip Gröning is a director, documentary filmmaker, and screenwriter. He grew up in Germany, has also lived in the United States, and is well-traveled. Before directing his first film, he worked as an assistant sound engineer, assistant director, and props manager. He has acted in films by Peter Keglevic and Nicolas Humbert. He studied medicine and psychology before beginning his film studies in Munich in the 1980s. He is the maker of the well-known film Into Great Silence.
Selected filmography
1988 Summer / Sommer
1992 Die Terroristen! / The Terrorist
2000 L’Amour, l’argent, l’amour / Love, Money, Love
2005 Wielka cisza / Die große Stille / Into Great Silence
2013 Żona policjanta / Die Frau des Polizisten / The Police Officer’s Wife