Inspired by the lives of Warsaw based artists, Wojtek Bakowski and Zuzanna Bartoszek, two emblematic figures of the contemporary art scene, this romance examines the relationship between narcissism and love.
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Video Quality
A Heart Of Love makes its Blu-Ray debut with a terrific 1080p video presentation that replicates the sleek aesthetic without issue. The narratively pivotal production design, clothing, and backgrounds provide incredible textural details that enhance the viewing experience. The image is crisp and clear with the nuanced natural color palette saturating the screen. The film delights in showing off deep colors within the light sources which is always a treat. The presentation allows for a substantial amount of depth even in the shadowy enclaves. Black levels succumb to the smallest amount of banding in a few moments, but they largely maintain their depth. The skin tones are natural with a magnificent amount of detail present such as the bruises carried by Zuzanna. This Blu-Ray is a welcome representation of this movie that does everything it needs to do.
Audio Quality
Yellow Veil Pictures gives this Blu-Ray a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that is executed without a single flaw that we observed. Environmental sounds of the various spaces engage the surround speakers effectively to feel three-dimensional. When the characters are moving through performance spaces, numerous unique ambient details flesh out the setting. This is important due to the gravity with which they tackle their artistic endeavors.
The graceful and effective sound design comes alive with a precision that is not to be taken for granted. Dialogue flows through clearly without being overshadowed by any competing sounds. The music is clear and well-balanced while maintaining its fidelity. There is a bit of texture in the lower registers when it comes to some of the bass in the tunes they manufacture. The audio track captures the complexities that make this narrative fully formed. This film is presented in the original Polish with optional English subtitles.
Special Features
- Introduction: A two-minute optional introduction in which director Łukasz Ronduda discusses the background of the film and the level of accuracy within the events of the story.
- Audio Commentary: Director Łukasz Ronduda provides a very monotone commentary track in which he discusses the background of the production, collaborating with the performers, the aesthetic of the film, the narrative handling of the art, and more.
- Selected Works from Wojciech Bakowski
- Analysis 1 & 2 (13:19, 10:33)
- Sound of My Soul (13:11)
- Construction of a Day (9:00)
- Times (11:11)
- Waiting and Remembering (0:56)
- Finding Oneself (2013) (1:47)
- The Interval of Remembering (0:59)
- Standby Map (0:18)
- The Big Wanting/Presure on the Wiev (1:32)
- Wojciech Bakowski’s Early Animation
- Spoken Movie One (5:24)
- Spoken Movie Two (8:10)
- Spoken Movie Three (10:07)
- Spoken Movie Four (13:14)
- Spoken Movie Five (5:57)
- Spoken Movie Six (6:02)
- Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay “A Heart of Love – An Odd Couple” from writer Sebastian Smolinski is provided here. This piece gives a great background to the creatives on screen and behind the scenes of the film which strengthens your appreciation overall.
Final Thoughts
A Heart Of Love challenges the audience with a relationship that evolves and adapts based on the current status of the power dynamic. The line between love and inspiration is murky at best as our characters realize how their creativity is impacted when attempting domesticity. The film is not as genre-forward as most of the narratives from this label, but it fits within this liminal space of discomfort that feels familiar to those who have latched onto the curation of this label. The lead performances are fantastic, and even those who know nothing of the real-life artists who inspired this film should be affected by it. Yellow Veil Pictures has released a Blu-Ray featuring a beautiful A/V presentation and a terrific assortment of special features. Recommended
A Heart Of Love is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Yellow Veil Pictures and Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
