AllMovie

An entertaining tale of a Polish Don Juan set between the two World Wars, this light/dark comedy features the irrepressible con artist Franciszek (Andrezej Grabarczyk as the adult Franciszek, Jarek Antonik as the boy). Ever since birth, when the midwife bopped an invading German soldier over the head with a frying pan, Franciszek is shown to be clearly Polish. He lives in Silesia, the coal-mining region of Poland, and came into the world just as the partitioned country regained its unity. Franciszek is not a world-class scholar, but his playful sincerity endears him to his schoolmates and while still a young lad, he experiences his first true love. Capitalizing on his ability to charm, Franciszek later joins a troupe of street performers-cum-swindlers and through his exploits, reveals a rich web of cultural and regional life.