“If I were you”. Jag³owski: We named our heroes after exchanging Kasiek and Krzyś, so as not to get lost

– Two people, a young married couple, fell into a stupor that everyday life brought them. Theoretically, everything seems to work, but there is a kind of emptiness that they have to deal with – says a graduate of the Łódź film school about the film. It’s a fantasy about getting out of your body. Be able to look at yourself and your life from the side. It’s an empathetic movie. We told the relationship of the characters in a witty and cheerful way, but it was important for me to also include shadows, things that are difficult to work through and give food for thought. Working on different tones, constantly balancing the proportions between laughter and tears – it was an extremely interesting and inspiring process – adds Galdamez.

“They wanted change, not replacement.” “In Your Place” is a film about empathy

Kasia (Paulina Gałązka) and Krzysiek (Miron Jagniewski) – the main characters of “In Your Place” – are a young married couple with a charming son and an apartment in a picturesque area. It seems that they should be happy, and yet they are on the verge of divorce. They spend every day the same – arguing. Until the morning when they must work together like never before, all by switching bodies. From now on, Krzysiek is Kaśka, and Kaśka is Krzysiek. Each of them has to take over the duties of the other and face problems they had no idea existed before… As the creators argue, body swapping is just a lockpick they use to be able to say a few original words about the present day.

Miron Jagniewski and Paulina Gałązka at the premiere of ‘In Your Place’ Dawid Żuchowicz, Agencja Wyborcza.pl

– I always do “focus research” on my friends before a new project. When I told them about the script of In Your Place, their ears perked up. I think that for people our age it will be not only fun entertainment, but also something that will make you think – says Gałązka, who at the beginning is a task-oriented Kaśka, who has a need to constantly please everyone around, which sometimes makes her forget about her own happiness, and then turns into her charming but constantly busy husband. – The very idea for the film, which was born in the head of our screenwriter Łukasz Światowiec on the basis of his private experience, carries an important message. The body-swapping procedure is just an excuse to talk about empathy and communication in close relationships. Throughout the adventure, our heroes come out more mature and happier – explains the actress. Her partner and “substitute” adds:

I once read a sentence that the easiest problems to solve are someone else’s, and I think this trap is the key here. This ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and not underestimate someone else’s problems. This, of course, is called empathy, and our video shows how this deep understanding of the other person is essential in creating healthy relationships.

Miron Jagniewski: After all, being Krzysiek, I played a bit how Paulina sees me and vice versa

Before the crew went on set, they spent many hours reading and discussing the script with the director. They also used with the help of an acting coach and a choreographer who helped them choose their characteristic movements so that after “swapping bodies” they could be used. – From the actor’s point of view, it’s not a body swap, but playing Krzysiek, created by Paulina and Kasia, created by me, and then a consequence of the roles after the swap. In addition, we set the characters close to ourselves, so in the end being Krzysiek, I played a bit how Paulina sees me and vice versa. It’s pretty schizophrenic, but I don’t know if there’s any other way to approach it. We even named our heroes after replacing Kasiek and Krzyś, so as not to get lost in it – says Jagniewski.

The production is the feature debut of the director, who says that you must always take advantage of the circumstances that you encounter. – Some things are beyond us and we have to accept that. Since it turned out that we are shooting the film in autumn, I took it as an advantage that should be emphasized. If we had shot it in the summer, the tone of the film would probably be completely different, less melancholy. But this “autumn feeling” ultimately did our film good, both climatically and symbolically – he says and adds:

I believe in something called directorial fate. That is, a certain destiny that decides for you and throws solutions. Paradoxically, things that can be an obstacle later evolve into great ideas or force good solutions and work to the advantage of the entire project. Filmmaking requires constant vigilance for the odds and wind changes.

The creators emphasize that “In Your Place” is primarily a film about relationships. Supporting roles will include: Michał Czarnecki, Maria Pakulnis and Magdalena Lamparska.

Magdalena Lamparska and Maria Pakulnis Dawid Żuchowicz /Election Agency

– I play Edyta, who works in a corporation. She is the head of marketing, but in this male world she is not appreciated. She got used to the fact that despite her education, i.e. two faculties, MBA, knowledge of Japanese, everyone treats her through the prism of the fact that she is simply an attractive woman. It was mainly because of this issue that I decided to take on this role. I believe that in the male world, certain stereotypes inscribed in our culture still work and need to be verified, explains the latter. Pakulnis, who played Paulina’s mother, interprets the film as a story about entering real, adult life:

He talks about how to be in a relationship and how important it is to be able to talk to each other. What struck me most about the script was that the story is close to life. We don’t have to pretend anything. And everything is constructed in such a way that, apart from cool, clever things, there are also jokes and absurdities.

“In Your Place” hits theaters on January 6.