Starring
Written by
Director of Photography
Edited by Sound Designer
Costume Designer Make-up Designer
Set Designer
Produced by
Directed by
A COACH'S DAUGHTER
When will you let me drive?
Once you've won the tournament.
You may choose the music, for now.
Thank you, father.
Keep your eyes on the road.
No, no, no. Turn that off.
Turn that thing off!
But I like it.
You're impossible.
There you go.
Chwalibożyce.
Would you like to live in Chwalibożyce?
Who wouldn't?
I'd have a boyfriend by the name Damian.
A German automotive enthusiast.
You mean he'd drive a pimped Volkswagen?
Yes.
What?
Sounds like quite a plan.
We're off to kill, let's go.
Dad
Look, there they are.
You need a lift?
Thanks, my daughter needs to unwind.
Unwind
That's a better fantasist than Tolkien.
He should be writing books, not dragging the poor girl around in tournaments.
Excuse me?
Hello?
When are you planning to stop this thing?
On July 22nd.
- But - But there may be delays.
Like, I can't even...
Wanna bet?
Lemonade?
Lemonade it is.
Your dad won't let you drink lemonade.
Why would you make a bet of something you can't have?
I can if there's no sugar in it.
- So Igor will have to squeeze the lemons for you. - Yes.
- Will you squeeze some for me? - I will.
- You will? - Yes, but if I win
Then it's with sugar.
Alright.
Let's see what card that was.
This one?
I see you always win.
- When off court. - You, you win on court?
For now, I still do.
Are you scared?
- No. You scare me. - I scare you?
Why?
Because you talk so little.
Turning things over in your head.
Thinking and thinking What if there's nothing there?
You sure talk a lot and plain stupid.
- Court number one - Be quiet for a minute.
Karski and Świtała.
And number two is Rajecka and Antolak.
Excuse me, when are we playing?
Kornet.
Tomorrow morning.
What... What do you mean tomorrow, how come tomorrow?
The opponent has to rest.
She finished her game half an hour later than we did.
Is this a tennis tournament or a Nordic walking retreat?
Seriously, what is this?
Let them go warm up on three, and then the game's on in 15 minutes.
It's my job to arrange that, not yours.
On courts three and four there's recreational.
Sponsors' kids.
Is this all a joke?
Why are we even here?
No one's keeping you. London's waiting.
And the Oława courts have to earn their keep.
Tough luck.
Let's go for a run, come on.
Excellent idea.
Good for your nerves.
Picturesque, huh?
You're a good kid, and smart, you know?
Maniek what would I do without you?
You'd coach some boy.
Stop talking crazy.
You're the best son ever.
And the best daughter.
Whoa.
Household Essentials Department.
Wait...
That was over this hill, on the left.
Let's go back the same way, OK?
Hello, sir!
What are you doing?
Sir!
- What are you doing, stop! - Asking for directions.
Hello?!
- Stop that! - Calm down.
I am calm, I know where we are.
You're on your own, then.
WIMBLEDON IS ON THE OTHER SIDE.
You ready?
What are you doing?
Give that to me.
Give me that!
The podium is there so we can get going.
Mayor Puchaldo was supposed to be here with us, but he had to leave for Wrocław at the last moment.
And so, women's singles.
Third place
Wronka Marika.
Second
Rajecka Ada.
And the winner
Kornet Wiktoria.
Thank you! Now, men's singles.
Third place
Ilowski Jakub.
Second: Karski Igor.
- No turn signal? - Where's your turn signal, moron?
I have to let this one go first.
Oh, God.
Pull up.
- Good afternoon. - Hello.
You want to reach Bielsko on foot?
Hop in.
You knew we were going to the same tournament, didn't you?
Go, that guy's letting you in.
Wika?
- Would you like some? - No.
That's unhealthy.
Yeah, I know.
Then pour it out.
Well, but I've just poured myself some.
This is also training.
What's your weight?
78.5 kilograms.
With this much of a strain you need
1,5 grams of pure protein per kilo of bodyweight.
There's some things you can control. Other things you can't.
You can control food.
You have to turn this stuff into your ally on court.
You understand?
Yes, sir.
- You do? - I do.
Then pour it out.
Did you wash your hands first?
What?
I did, I did. No worries.
Watch out not to jam your fingers.
How much do I owe you for the gas?
Keep it, buy some balls.
You're off to bed at 9.
Don't play with your phone.
Or your willy.
What kind of a room have you booked?
The usual. Double.
Want to hit the town?
There's one landmark I'd like to particularly recommend.
No way.
Come on.
Nope.
Let's go.
No.
Nope.
Time to go to bed, huh?
Where's Wiktoria?
She's tired.
70% strength, three feet above the net, full topspin.
Twice forehand, one backhand. Go.
Who are you shutting yourself off from?
From you.
Guess who I met on the court.
Djokovic?
In a few years, who knows.
Igor set you up like that?
He's a hardworking kid.
He can get far.
Like, win a county cup.
Maybe more.
Look where we were five years ago.
Three years ago.
Last year.
And where we are now.
Same hotel?
Except there is no carpet but panels?
OK, I'm going to take a shower and then we'll hug it out.
You can scream if you want.
Go on.
Good.
I can't be 100% sure without the MRI, but that's most probably a cracked meniscus.
So now you're going home and getting an MRI scan.
Also, you shouldn't drive at all, ideally.
If you have to, take a break every two hours.
Just give me a cortisone shot.
Are you out of your mind?
I can't afford to give up moving now.
You're so anxious to get that endoprosthesis.
Aren't you?
You'll need some patience.
That's fifteen years waiting in public healthcare.
You could go for private of course...
That'll cost you circa 30 thousand.
Titanium, very solid.
If I were you however,
I'd start with physiotherapy.
My daughter's starting her Polish Championship in Women's Junior in five weeks.
That's fine with me.
She can play and win all she wants, for that matter.
Your daughter.
Not you.
What's the prescription?
The usual staples.
Ice, painkillers.
In all this mess I forgot to ask about a pharmacy.
I remembered.
That knee has been bothering me since before you were born.
We're going home.
That's out of the question.
- You place the racket like so. - Right.
Then turn around 20 times.
You turn around 20 times and hit the service box, you win.
- Go for it. - Start.
Shit, I can't, I'm too old for that.
- Shit, man. - Jesus. That's a walkover.
You have to hit that, then it's walkover.
- Did I do it? - That's your warm-up now, Igor?
Shut up.
Someone's uptight, huh?
But you won, man. You won the lemonade.
- That's right. - Let's hit it.
Is this the way to treat your racket?
Fuck.
Is this the way to treat your racket?
What are you going to use in Mrągowo?
I won't play there at all.
Listen to me
There's a seat for you in the car.
You can share our meals.
You can't afford a place to sleep, then crash out in the car.
I'll lend you some cash for the entry fee.
I have an offer for you.
You'd come to work with me, in Warsaw.
We'd teach some CEOs, some rich kids,
well-off families.
You'll make 10 thousand, have some money for later, live comfortably.
Thanks, man. I have other plans.
Come on, what plans?
With Igor, who lost in round one? Is he in your new plans?
When will you stop breaking your back?
To bring your daughter to a game and she'll tell you she's not feeling well?
Wise up, man. You're too old for that.
Take care.
If you trained amateurs, you wouldn't have to drink tap water.
If tap water was fine for you, you wouldn't have to train amateurs.
Did you sleep well?
Everyone was asking about you.
Want to go for a run?
Come here.
A beautiful summer, isn't it?
Not your type of vacation?
This is no vacation, dad.
What would you like instead? A seaside resort?
No idea. How would I know?
Look, I know you haven't had much sleep because of me.
I can see why you didn't go play in that shape.
But if you ask me...
that's what you're really mad about, not with me but with yourself.
Here comes an excuse to skip a match, and you used it.
And now you're writing this whole drama in your head.
Maniek...
For goodness sake, stop thinking so much.
Let's go back to the hotel.
It's so pretty here.
Can we stop somewhere?
No time to waste.
Look at this.
One more time?
Start.
Stop.
22.74
Infinite jest.
- Good morning. - Good morning.
You're an early riser.
You too.
Are there any nice routes around here?
There's one in the meadows by the lake and one in the woods.
Kamila.
Maciek.
Are we off to kill?
Get some sleep.
What app is that?
A tennis app.
Follows statistics. I'm watching one ATP match now.
After the match, I mean.
Who played what,
how many aces and so on.
I also have it.
The same one?
Sit up straight instead of staring into that thing.
But sir, that app is genius.
Really the simplest way to save all the stats.
Then you can follow progress and so on.
Sounds good, doesn't it?
Can this machine tell you why you lost in Bielsko?
Or why you smashed your racket?
It can't, but
Can I see it?
When there's something important,
I'll let you know in person.
Mmm, coconut.
Go help the lady.
Look, she's in distress, the poor thing.
Let's go through one more basket.
No.
Why not?
Because I'm tired.
And that's why you're lagging behind, with no stamina for the third set.
It's not stamina but freshness, you're killing me with cross-training.
No, you're getting paranoid.
That's how it's done, that's good training.
You have class now.
- Hi. - Pretty clothes for a workout.
You look great, too.
First you have to make friends with the racket.
Shake hands.
- Like this? - Yes.
And that's the continental grip.
Loosen your grip.
- And this is back - Backhand.
Bravo!
Now move naturally.
Switch between one and the other.
Try to engage your whole body.
So that the body works as well.
Hit it.
Too high.
Good.
Every ball in the court.
OK, only try to hit it not with the frame
but the center.
And your whole body goes into swing.
- Get ready. - I am ready.
- Pause. - Why?
We need breaks to catch some air.
And this is how we catch some air.
Welcome to my kingdom.
Lounge, bedroom, kitchen,
and bathroom.
Come in.
Be my guests, make yourself at home, what's mine is yours.
This is the captain's bridge.
And these are my friends.
People I met on the road.
- What is that? - It's a dreamcatcher. It's Native American.
- What have you caught recently? - A couple of nightmares.
We need some music here, huh?
Here goes something cool.
That's some vibe, right?
True blues, unlike all that xylophone ukulele bullshit.
What is it?
Boring?
It's nice and all, but we'd rather watch tennis, yes?
Yes.
Chill, man.
Like you just won the Grand Slam.
You're pretty as a picture.
You have to wave it in the air.
- How long? - Two, three hours.
Put that back for a moment.
If I see you with a beer once more, the party's over, we're going back home.
You sure?
Absolutely.
If you disagree, we can leave now.
The same applies to you, understood?
- But that was just - Same applies to you, understood?
Yes, sir.
I've never seen anyone eat so slowly.
Optimizing the digestive process.
You're crazy.
Downright psycho.
Look, there's cheese,
stuffed tomatoes, hummus
There's even uh, peppers and feta cheese spread, Greek style”
Food. Pleasure.
You should be writing guides on how to enjoy life.
And you should read some.
I always thought sportspeople are those who
Who have a connection with their bodies, who like their bodies
Who are sensual, they like food, they like sex.
I do like
Food.
A balloon gets slowly deflated
Or popped with one single move
An itchy sweater to sweat it
What swallowed might as well be chewed
Today I'm against all enhancements
Prepared to stick "as is"
There's things that could be ingested
But I'll pass on the nightly fix
- Sting? - What's with Sting?
Sting had two good tracks,
both for that movie about Las Vegas.
Except these songs weren't his, but jazz standards, so that doesn't count.
If you ask me, he's better at teaching yoga than writing songs.
How do you know how well he teaches yoga?
I saw some photos on Facebook.
Where does he get these looks, he's like almost sixty, isn't he?
You sure know a lot about him.
I used to listen to his music.
What happened?
I grew up to be a man.
I grew facial hair, my voice changed, and I stopped listening.
- So there's a correlation? - I think so, yes.
Is it the same way with girls?
- That their voices change and they grow beards? - And no longer like Sting.
Yeah, then they start listening to U2.
- My dad likes Sting. - Of course.
And has stubble.
- Now what? - That's not something that does him credit.
Think about it.
I think well of my dad.
What do you like listening to?
My taste is rather peculiar.
How?
I like motivational music.
What kind?
Like in Rocky, the movie, for example.
What else? “We are the Champions?”
No, like, Two Steps From Hell.
When she was born, I hung this ball for her.
A tennis ball over her crib.
I thought, tennis
would give her something that would make her
happy, or self-reliant.
And I wanted her to be the best.
You understand?
I do.
And now
- What now? - I don't know.
Come over here.
You have anything to tell me?
Let me smell your breath.
- All right? - What time are you supposed to be home?
- Come back here, I'm talking to you! - Don't yell at me.
And you wonder why you get tired on court.
What is it, am I supposed to go to bed at dusk?
I've drunk zero alcohol. What do you want now?
That you act like a sportsperson!
What were you thinking?
Great, go on yelling, I will be in great shape in the morning.
How do you like it now?
Too tired for the third set, aren't you?
It's fine, actually.
Really?
Then push me over.
Push me over.
Come on!
Dad.
Cut it out now!
Ok!
Your choice: exercise or pleasure.
Get off.
Stretch now.
That's all for today, see you tomorrow at nine.
How come? The courts can be dried off easily. A couple of puddles? Come on.
What do you want?
I want to play.
What do you want to play on wet court?
- Wet? - Yes, wet, it's raining.
A few splashes, clay will do the trick. Let's just brush it and play on.
Take care of your daughter, I'll take care of the courts, OK?
- Don't talk about my daughter. - Don't lecture me on my courts.
- My daughter can't play - Because the courts are wet.
But we can dry them off, get it?
How many fucking times do you need me to repeat this?
I admire your zeal, seriously, you're such a warrior, Lone Ranger type.
Touch me one more time, I'll knock you out.
You want to dry off the court? There's brushes, there's clay, help yourself.
- Prove I'm an idiot, I'll watch. - Because you are.
Go get the clay, smartass.
Need help, sir?
Do your warm up.
Hi.
Hey.
What's up?
I'm leaving.
When?
About now.
I have to go look for different weather.
Here, take this.
A very nice
What is it?
I'm in a pensive mood.
Nothing to think about, Maniek.
Off you go with her. Warm up.
Move those legs, move it! Move, I'm telling you!
You're not moving!
Out!
Go lower, bend your legs!
Wiktoria!
What did you do there? That's a disgrace! What was that anyway?
I told you: watch your legs.
Go lower on your legs.
Or didn't I?
I told you not to hit across - you're hitting across!
Hit it lower - you're not hitting lower.
Are you dumb? Or plain stupid?
You've had your swimming, your beer, your romance, huh?
For fuck's sake.
Why are you crying?
You should be glad.
Because this might be the peak of your career.
In ten years, you'll be able to tell your kids
that in Mrągowo in 2017,
you stole two games off Julia Szreder.
The one they saw on TV.
Because she is going to make it.
You aren't.
Don't look my way.
We are leaving for another tournament.
You want me to go with you?
No.
What's wrong?
I'm pregnant.
Whose is it?
I don't know.
I'm joking.
Calm down.
I love you terribly.
Which means who?
You.
We're off to kill.
Who?
The dummies in Warsaw.
Sir, we have to change the music.
Why?
With that sort of crap, we'll never...
You know nothing.
And now what?
That's a nice finish.
That's a push start.
Go ahead.
Not so fast, wait a minute.
- Should I push now or not? - Push it!
That's OK. We're almost there.
Wait a minute, sorry. Something's wrong here.
Everything's wrong.
See, nothing's impossible. Very well.
Seven kilometers to go, you can do it.
Is this also training?
What is it?
Laughing like a drain. What's so funny?
Igor...
Do you happen to have a paperclip or a safety pin?
No, I don't.
Don't you have some in your Ziploc bags?
Oh, my!
Napoleon got stuck in the snow.
Cheered up since yesterday, haven't you?
Sorry.
Maniek, get up.
Your match is in two hours.
What is that?
You should be warming up, your match is in 15 minutes.
I'm not going anywhere.
I am done with this.
We'll talk later.
How long have you known?
Known what?
When did Wiktoria tell you she was through with tennis?
Dad, leave it. We'll talk tomorrow.
- I am talking to my coachee. Can I? - You'll talk tomorrow.
Can I?
Since the very first day.
- Good evening. - Good evening.
Cheers.
I know, I know, but that's just a token.
Melbourne...
Paris
No, thanks.
London is lost, I guess
And New York.
The Grand Slam.
I'll be waiting at the hotel.
So you won't feel tempted.
That's the trophy.
Join me in a pub if you want to drink.
Your kirsch.
I don't recommend mixing these.
No
That's to you, to your success.
Here's to Kornet.
- To Wiktoria Kornet. - No, just Kornet.
Igor, come on.
Show us how a true Polish sportsman drinks.
You won't drink to Kornet?
See, that's a winner.
Good, huh?
Delicious.
- But you know what? - What?
- I thought I would - What?
I thought I'd have to coax you.
All the silence
We've closed in this room
Where am I?
I'm on the tennis court..
I did win that match, right?
I know how much you hate surprises
No worries, I had no plans.
All the sadness
We've closed in this room
I know how much you hate surprises
No worries, I had no plans.
Off to bed.
But sir
Now.
You'll hit me too?
Let go.
You stink.
Igor.
Get up, workout time.
Forehand, dropshot, first cone,
doubles alley, second cone.
Fail means ten pushups.
Go!
Did I say stop?
I can't fucking believe you did this.
Watch your language.
What about yours?
You keep losing it,
You keep starting fights with everyone and it's me who has to handle it.
Who the fuck you think you are?
Who you think you are?
Posing as a youth counselor,
because any adult person sees you're a joke.
Drying off the court? That fucking cracked me up.
Your knee's falling off, you'll stuff yourself with painkillers and pretend everything's fine, right?
And when your leg falls off, who's going to pay for treatment?
Your holy ex-wife.
Because you have nothing.
Because you gave up everything for your daughter, right?
Bullshit!
You met a good woman and left her five days later,
because tennis is number one, your daughter is number one, right?
An expert at inspiring guilt!
- Who's number one for you? - Shut the fuck up!
How can you do that to people?
- Shut your fucking mouth! - Don't talk to me like that!
What are you doing?
Maniek, get in please, what is that?
Leave me alone!
Not a single word more.
You'll take me to the train station.
What's that, house specialty?
It's just good. The cake.
It is good.