Maya Zaleski’s film showcases the increasingly turbulent relationship between a Polish father and his Polish-American daughter as she prepares to leave for college. Fueled by cultural divide and stifled communication, the tensions between them peak at a graduation party amongst her best friend’s picture perfect American family. What happens next is unexpected, to say the least.
The cultural divide between immigrant parents and their children who have grown up in the new country is a very real thing. Maya Zaleski’s Tata captures lightning in a bottle through this story of a Polish father and her daughter. Tata shows that despite the ever widening divide, the parent – child love is a very strong bond. It is this special relationship that is capable of overcoming almost anything.
Taking up double duty as both writer and director, Zaleski proves herself to be the perfect person to bring this story onscreen. Since she wrote the script herself, Zaleski knows the nuances of the story inside out and thus, there was no one better to direct the film except for her. Zaleski manages to accurately convey the idea of culture shock and how parents from different cultures may feel alienated when their kids successfully assimilate in America. The tension and subtle sadness that results from this needs to be shown in a way that the audience can understand and this is where Zaleski manages to excel.
The center of the film is Megan Osyen whose nuanced performance makes the film so good. It is clear that the daughter is gradually drifting away from her Polish culture and the way Megan is able to capture it in her performance is a sight to behold. In addition, the acting by the rest of the cast is great as well. Every actor gives the film his all, ensuring that the film is elevated by their performances. There is just enough subtle wit to balance the emotional beats and the final product thus turns out very well.
From a narrative perspective, the film soars out of its own shell soaring. The direction is sharp and each cut progresses both the plot and the emotional undertones in a way that makes sense. The director has done a fantastic job ensuring that the drama does not feel heavy handed and those tense, unnerving moments of interaction between characters look as energised and unpredictable as possible
In regards to its technical aspects, ‘Tata’ bursts out of the screen due to its poignant cinematography. Perfectly capturing the tension within its leads, the film has a visual narrative of its own that complements the human drama unfolding onscreen. Expertly utilising colours and lighting to convey emotions within the story, the cinematography gives the film a life of its own. The sound design is great as well, ensuring that the emotional disconnect that we see between the characters are well fleshed out.
Thus, Maya Zaleski’s short Tata is a fantastic look into a particular father-daughter relationship and how, despite our momentary differences, we really have no option other than love and forgiveness when it comes to our parents. Megan Osyen’s subtle performance makes the film what it is and I ended up identifying with both the father and the daughter and how they were able to put aside their differences in the end.
