Source: variety.com
Publish Date: July 19, 2015
Author: Alissa Simon

„Couched as a dialogue between Adam Jacek Winkler (1937-2002), a Polish expat and Don Quixote-like figure who fought with the mujahideen in Afghanistan against the Soviets, and his daughter Anna, the animated docudrama “The Magic Mountain” is a work of overwhelming artistry. Indeed, so relentless is the riot of fast-changing images and animation techniques and the almost nonstop, time-jumping, voiceover narration that it becomes difficult to engage with what is happening. The second of Romanian animator Anca Damian’s self-dubbed “tales of heroism,” following her poignant “Crulic: The Path to Beyond” (2011), will be best appreciated at festivals and specialty venues.

The screenplay (by helmer Damian and Winkler fille) is based on Winkler pere’s journals, artwork and the story of his life, which he once recorded on a Dictaphone. It evokes the powerful personality of an individualist and a romantic, who sometimes lives outside the law due to his love of independence and his beliefs. An artist, photographer, mountain climber and free spirit who wants to change the world, he comes across as extremely brave, but also impulsive, cynical and naive, someone who lives off adrenaline. He frequently compares himself to a guileless but passionate character from Polish children’s literature, the Goat Motolek, and the way in which he tells the story of his life includes plenty of humor and self-irony.”

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