Page 25 - Boca Club News - November '23

Boca Club News, Page 25
Film Review: “Forgotten Love”
Book Review from page 24

One chapter, Who Gives a Hoot, includes among others
the experiences of researcher Karla Bloem, who devoted By Nils A. Shapiro long assumed that Professor Wilczur was killed and drowned.
an extensive amount of time studying the astounding You will thank me for One day, along a road, Antoni comes upon a woman,
variations in owl language at just one site during mating introducing you to this Zofia, whose male companion has been injured. Antoni
rituals, territorial disputes and other situations: one. repairs the man’s injury and, in appreciation, is invited to
“After hundreds of hours of meticulous observation, And you will want stay at their home in a nearby town. As it turns out—although
Bloem managed to characterize and describe fifteen to thank the remarkable neither is aware of it—the waitress who serves Antoni in
separate vocalizations: six sorts of hoots, four types of cast, the Director Michal the town’s restaurant is his own daughter, Marysia (Maria
chitters, and five kinds of squawks, including an alarm Gazda—and Netflix—for Kowalska in the role), now 15 years later and grown up! (She
squawk like an eerie shriek. She also noted that the owls what is surely one of the is alone, her mother and the man she ran away to be with
have nonvocal communication. When they’re fearful or most impressive, sensitive both having since passed away.)
agitated, they’ll hiss or clack their bills.” and award-worthy films I The fact that she is beautiful is instantly appreciated by
But perhaps the most familiar, and most understandable, have experienced all year. two of the restaurant’s patrons, especially the young Count
reason why owls have amassed a fan base numbering “Forgotten Love” is a Leszek, son of the town’s wealthiest noble family, who uses
many millions of humans worldwide is their most instantly production from Poland, every ounce of charm he can muster to ask Marysia to have
recognizable feature as the only bird whose big round eyes with perfect dubbing dinner with him. But she plays hard to get, which only serves
face forward, like ours, in the front of their faces. into English. You are not to increase his interest. Finally, she agrees to a date…and as
All other birds’ eyes are situated on the sides of their likely to recognize any of its actors, which is all for the better their romance rapidly grows she agrees to meet his parents
heads. since their performances are so uniformly excellent that you when he invites her to his home.
But unlike we humans, who can move our eyes left and will identify them as the characters they portray here at every But the more in love with Marysia her son becomes, the
right with a limited degree of peripheral vision in order to moment of their story. And what a story it is. more his mother objects to the relationship because the girl
see what is happening on each side of us, an owl’s eyes Professor Rafal Wilczur (brilliantly portrayed by Leszek is not of the right level of “society.” And when the young
are fixed facing forward. However, they make up for that Lichota) is a highly regarded surgeon. He is also a deeply man declares his intention of marriage his mother decides to
by being able to swivel their heads around in a way that kind and humane soul. One day, while crossing a street, he take desperate measures to prevent their union.
we cannot: witnesses a young boy become the victim of a traffic accident In the meantime, Antoni has performed another of what
“While it’s a myth that owls can rotate their heads from and rushes him to the hospital where he practices in order to the townsfolk have come to think of as his “miracles,” in this
a starting point facing forward, some species, like Great provide critical treatment. case—with no surgical tools available to him—he uses rough
Grays and Barn Owls, can turn their heads almost three Already being considered for promotion to Chief Surgeon, tools to treat a man who had believed he would never walk
quarters of the way around, 270 degrees—three times the this latest act not only seals that position for Professor Wilczur again, getting him back on his feet and around on his own.
twisting flexibility humans possess…That an owl’s neck can but also convinces the hospital to establish a special charitable But still, neither Antoni nor his daughter have any idea
move swiftly and smoothly through those 270 degrees of ward for children whose families are unable to pay for care. of their true relationship.
rotation is due to some clever adaptations, a loose S shape But fate has other plans for the good professor. On arriving The further this story progresses, the more dramatic
that gives it flexibility, and a system of bones and blood home with the good news, he discovers that his wife has it becomes. It is so tempting to fill this review with more
vessels that minimizes disruption of blood flow through the packed all of her belongings and left him—taking their young details of what ensues, but it would be unfair to include more
neck to the eye and the brain when the head rotates.” daughter, Marysia—to be with her lover in another city. spoilers about the twists and turns still to come. Instead, I
And I haven’t even touched upon an owl’s vision, with Devastated and desperate, he calls his colleague at the will say only that what follows includes a brain surgery that
its ultraviolet spectrum. hospital, Jerzy, that he is leaving to find his wife and rushes both tears at your heart for a very special reason…and at
There is so much more here to enjoy, and from which out of the house–only to be attacked by a group of thieves who the same time results in Antoni being arrested for practicing
to learn. Plus fifty black-and-white photos and a section of beat him up, knock him unconscious and toss him into a river. medicine without a license.
full-color photos that add greatly in helping you to identify When we see him next it is 15 years later, a victim of Really…don’t miss this one. I will likely watch it for
different owl species. amnesia as a result of the beating. He has taken the name a second time and could write twice as many words about
Don’t be surprised if, after reading this book, you turn Antoni Kosiba, remembers nothing of his past, is hardly “Forgotten Love” in this review column, but I don’t want to
out to be one of the millions of “owlaholics,” around the recognizable now with a full beard, and knows only that he diminish a moment of your own experience with this rare
world. Trust me; it can be pretty lovable. has some medical skills “by instinct.” The hospital staff has film achievement.
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