Interview: Wet Monday
An interview with the director and line producer of Wet Monday
by Volodymyr Chernyshev, Evgenija Arsova and Pavla Banjac
Justyna Mytnik and Luiza Skrzek: “We didn’t want to make an indigestible film about sexual violence”
The most anticipated holiday celebration by children all over Poland every year around Easter, Wet Monday gets deprived of its spirit when young Klara (Julia Polaczek) is sexually assaulted by a faceless guy in a clown costume deep into the local sewer. This terrifying experience resurfaces after a year of trying to suppress it, in an attempt to conform to the strict morals of her hometown. First-time director and screenwriter Justyna Mytnik graduated from the Łódź Film School, and is known for her internationally awarded shorts such as How to Become a Pope? andApocalypse. She returns to the Warsaw Film Festival with her debut feature Wet Monday, which takes an unconventional approach in tackling such a delicate topic by lighting it up with themes from christian and pagan traditions. Mytnik and her line producer Luiza Skrzek, representingLava Films, spoke to us in Warsaw about fairytale influences, working with amateur teenage actors, and how to handle difficult subjects.
Easter is very important to the film’s temporal and spatial element. Why did you choose this particular holiday as a reference?
Justyna Mytnik: This wasn’t by any means a logical decision. It was much more intuitive. The idea came to me while I was in Mexico for dia de los muertos. I always saw it as this colorful, exotic folklore celebration that reminded me of the Polish Easter. And when I was studying in the UK, I would only go back to Poland twice a year—for Christmas and Easter. Both these holidays started to grow on me as these fascinating, over the top celebrations that I loved. It was particularly interesting to me from an anthropological point of view, so it was only a matter of time until this idea found its way into my work.
What were your references in writing the screenplay?
JM: Pan’s Labyrinth was my main reference, in the sense that it is also a drama about a heavy topic which contrasts with fairytale elements. I was also heavily influenced by the work of Angela Carter. When I was studying English Literature in Edinburgh I came across her work on multiple occasions. Her unique approach to fairy tales was really fascinating to me. That is where the hare came from, but I also borrowed from Celtic myths, where the goddess Ostara turned a hen into a rabbit. And that’s why rabbits bring eggs on Easter, traditionally. This is why the decision to merge Marzanna with Ostara came so naturally.
How did you manage to blend mythical and religious themes with fairy tales in order to talk about sexual abuse?
JM: I think it came from my short films, in which I’ve always experimented with form. It was a very spontaneous decision. One of them was a musical about witch-hunting set in the 18th century, in which I experimented with the theme of magic. I guess it’s just something I did from the beginning of my work—experimented with conventions in many ways. I didn’t want to make a movie about sexual violence that would make you want to shoot yourself in the head after you see it.
Fairy tales are closely associated with childhood. Was your intent to speak to younger audiences, and in a sense educate them about sexual violence?
JM: I attended a children movies screenwriting workshop by Philip LaZebnik, the scriptwriter of Pocahontas, and I always remember him saying that whenever he’s writing a movie for kids, he doesn’t really think about the fact that he is. He just writes something that he considers fun, that he enjoys, and that is a good story. I approached Wet Monday in a similar way. And to be honest, I actually thought it would be a film mostly for adults, because of such a dark topic. However, at one other Polish film festival where we premiered the movie recently, I realized that the target audience were actually teenagers.
Speaking of teenagers, were there any challenges while working with young actors?
JM: We had a lot of issues, but it was also a very important experience for us. We began working with the actors long before the actual production, spending weeks together, taking trips, having coffee dates, lunches, meetings, and even workshops. We also had psychologists on our sets in order to support our actors, which we think was crucial. I guess we just wanted to ensure we were prepared for anything. This process helped us identify what challenges we may have to face on set, and we felt well-prepared because of it. But, of course, it’s always a challenge to work with many debutants on set—not only the actors, but also the producers, the director, and our sound designer.
What did the process of writing the script with two other people look like?
JM: It might sound surprising, but the decision of having more than one writer was made some time into the project. What actually pushed us towards it was the relationship I formed with Rosanna Hall, who’s a scriptwriter. She’s also experienced in theater, and considering I used to write for theater back in the UK, that’s how we connected. The other scriptwriter, Monika Dembińska, actually joined the project two years before the shooting started.
And from your point of view as a line producer, Luisa, why did you choose to work with their script?
Luiza Skrzek: I was invited to the project by Martha, the main producer, and I think it was thanks to Justyna’s short films. Personally I’ve always felt there was more to this script than just a story about sexual violence and trauma. Sometimes you just need to say out loud that something terrible has happened to you. You also need to figure out how to start your life from the beginning, and this film does this so well. That’s super important to me. I just think that we should talk more about trauma and talk more about what happens with our lives after those bad experiences happen.
Wet Monday had its premiere in the Free Spirit Competition section at the 2024 Warsaw Film Festival.