HalfAWoman

Jacek Malinowski

HalfAWoman

Jacek Malinowski

HalfAWoman, Pt. 1, 2000, 12’40 

HalfAWomanPt. 2, 2005, 30′ 

HalfAWoman, Pt. 3, 2008, 12’50

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One of Jacek Malinowski’s most renowned works, in which he first employed the “theory and practice of the fake documentary film.” The HalfAWoman triptych was created between 2000 and 2008. The film portrays the everyday life of Joan, a woman afflicted with a rare condition known as Pelvic Degeneration Syndrome (PDS), which causes half of her body to vanish. The camera captures both the dark and bright aspects of her life as she fully embraces her disability. In HalfAWoman 2 (2005) and the final part of the triptych, HalfAWoman… three years later (2008), Malinowski documents the transformation of the main character’s identity. She evolves from a flirtatious and vivacious middle-aged woman to a silent and subdued senior resident in a nursing home. The extended duration of the shooting has its consequences, including the visible progression of the heroine’s aging. This “unconventional portrait” of a person grappling with illness is nonetheless infused with humor derived from Joan’s psychological characteristics, her speech, and the situations depicted in the film. The narrative approach, aimed at maximizing the authenticity of the story, is supported by thorough research and operates on the boundary between reality and imagination.