CLEARING. The Cold Radiates from the Screen [REVIEW]

A woman disappears on Mount Ślęża, leaving behind a stroller with a small child. Her husband, accompanied by Lieutenant Andrzej, a clairvoyant, and a policewoman, tries to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance. They arrive in a cold, snow-covered forest to reconstruct, as best they can, the events leading up to her vanishing. This intriguing premise ensures that Clearing, the feature debut of Magdalena Pięta, grips the viewer with tension from the very first minutes.

Clearing is steeped in an overwhelming, grim atmosphere. The penetrating cold surrounding the characters seems to seep out of the screen, and the very circumstances of their gathering are filled with unease and sorrow—especially when one considers the small child who has been separated from its mother.

It’s hardly surprising that this bleak mood affects the characters themselves. Lieutenant Andrzej, introduced at the beginning, is clearly a man consumed by negative emotions—not just in these unpleasant circumstances, but in life in general. He’s curt and abrasive toward both the missing woman’s husband and the policewoman, turning the reconstruction—already a harrowing exercise—into something resembling a nightmare. The husband, Zygmunt, doesn’t help matters: he seems more interested in historical reenactments than in his partner’s fate.

The feeling of unease is further amplified by the introduction of Slavic mythology. A local woman speaks of forest spirits, linking them to the disappearance in a way that is so persuasive, we as viewers start to wonder whether supernatural forces might indeed be involved—or perhaps influencing the characters’ behavior. Ultimately, though, Magdalena Pięta is more interested in exploring the people than in solving the mystery itself.

Both male leads—Zygmunt and Andrzej—exhibit toxic behavior. During the site inspection, Zygmunt reveals a troubling enjoyment in exerting power over a woman, while Andrzej, in the midst of a divorce, is clearly overwhelmed by the pressures of his personal and professional life. He’s not the kind of person to talk about his problems; instead, he shuts himself off, even from the clairvoyant he has known for some time. He bottles up his emotions, and inevitably, the cup overflows. In this environment, the policewoman becomes the target of their frustration—she has to play the role of the missing woman during the reconstruction and is treated as an emotional punching bag. At first, the men even expect her to look after Zygmunt’s child.

The director portrays toxic male behavior but does not present a simplistic thesis that “men are bad.” Andrzej, in particular, is written as a character who, while unsettling at times, is not inherently cruel—he’s someone in desperate need of help. Cezary Łukaszewicz embodies this beautifully, capturing the character’s inner turmoil and gradual descent into darkness. His performance contrasts with the quiet, withdrawn policewoman played by Daria Polunina—she, too, carries her own burden, but unlike Andrzej, she eventually finds the strength to voice it.

The characters and atmosphere in Clearing are compelling and hold the viewer’s attention until the end. Yet there’s a sense of wanting more, especially since the wintery setting and hints of supernatural forces spark the imagination (helped along by the film’s atmospheric visuals). It feels like the story could have gone deeper into the mystery. In its final form, Clearing remains an intriguing study of a group of people in a bleak, emotionally fraught situation, leaving the audience with the thought that nothing good comes from repressing emotions—and that sometimes, simply talking matters. Had the film maintained the tension of its first two acts, it could have been even stronger. Nevertheless, Magdalena Pięta can consider her feature debut a success.