The Wall Street Journal reviews the film “Seasons”: “Very funny and charming.”
The comedy Seasons, directed by Michał Grzybowski, was produced with financial support from the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Film Fund. A critic from The Wall Street Journal highlights that the film cleverly and playfully combines humor with bittersweet drama.
Seasons premiered in 2024. The comedy, set in the world of theater, tells the story of the marital crisis of actor couple Marcin and Ola. Filming took place entirely in Toruń, including at the Wilam Horzyca Theatre. The lead roles are played by Łukasz Simlat and Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza, and the cast also includes stars such as Andrzej Seweryn and Andrzej Grabowski. The production was financially supported by the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Film Fund.
The film is now available to viewers in the United States on the American version of the streaming platform Viaplay. The Polish production caught the attention of The Wall Street Journal’s New York critic, who published a favorable review on the prestigious newspaper’s website.
In his article “A Polish Comedy About Marriage and Art,” John Anderson notes similarities between Seasons and the classic 1942 comedy by Hollywood director Ernst Lubitsch, To Be or Not to Be. “Both films are set in Poland, in a theater, and feature egocentric men struggling with their own insecurities. However, in Seasons, the war is not against the Germans. It is the protagonist’s war with himself. And, like Jack Benny (or Mel Brooks in the 1983 remake), he loses it,” writes Anderson.
The review provides a detailed plot summary, describing a story set in the “modest city of Toruń.” “The main character, Marcin, is an actor with a huge ego, convinced of his own uniqueness, making him both irritating and fascinating. His life begins to unravel when his wife Ola – also an actor – confesses just before a performance that she has been unfaithful with a fellow cast member playing Peter Pan. This revelation sets off a chain of disasters that affect both their private lives and the ongoing performances,” the article reads.
Anderson continues, explaining how the Peter Pan play descends into farce, and Marcin, attempting to control the situation, spirals into further trouble, interrogating the entire cast to find out who knew about his wife’s affair — it turns out almost everyone did.
According to the critic, Seasons is not only a comedy about infidelity and marital crisis but also a reflection on acting, ego, art, and how personal life can intertwine with professional life. Anderson notes that the theatrical moments are simultaneously funny and painful, as the art begins to reflect real emotions and the line between role and reality blurs. The film, he adds, makes use of Eastern European humor based on the sense of inevitable disaster.
“The use of stage directions as a form of couple’s therapy is one of the most moving sequences in a film that balances on the edge between farce and bittersweet drama,” Anderson concludes, describing the Toruń-shot production as “very funny and charming.”
Free Screening and Meeting with the Creators in Włocławek
The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Film Fund invites audiences this week to a screening and meeting with the creators of Seasons in Włocławek. The event, part of the Year of Film People from Kujawy and Pomerania celebrations, will take place on Wednesday, 11 February at 6:00 PM at the Teatr Impresaryjny. Admission is free. After the screening, there will be a meeting with director Michał Grzybowski and Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza, who received the Best Actress award at the 18th Off Camera Film Festival 2025 in Kraków for her role as Ola.
Dulęba-Kasza has appeared in many television series, including Samo życie, Pierwsza miłość, Komisarz Alex, and Prawo Agaty. She gained critical acclaim for her role as Kasia in Biały Potok (2021), earning a nomination for the Maciej Kozłowski Award at the Kozzi Film Festival in Zielona Góra. At the 2025 Tofifest International Film Festival, she received the Kujawy-Pomerania Marshal’s Film Award named after Pola Negri.
Other Recipients of the Marshal’s Film Award
Michał Grzybowski is an actor, director, and screenwriter, known for films such as Biały Potok, Hitler in the Opera, and his debut Non sono pronto.
Department of Promotion
9 February 2026