So It Doesn't Hurt

In 1974, journalist Marta Wesołowska from "Polityka" and photographer Erazm Ciołek visited Urszula Flis, a young farmer managing 13 hectares on her own. They were accompanied by Marcel Łoziński and his crew. This visit gave rise to the film "The Visit." Twenty-three years later, the documentarian decided to recreate that situation. After all these years, Mrs. Urszula is still alone, especially since her mother has passed away. She still reads constantly but no longer rushes to the theater: she has no one to leave the cows with. The years have changed her, as well as her surroundings. Yet, she has remained herself, true to who she is despite everything. She did not flee her poor farm, though she could have, following the example of her siblings who long ago left the village. She is a mature, fascinating woman who, near the end of the filmmakers' visit, says: "I'm glad Marcel wanted to make this film after all these years, but I wouldn't want it to hurt." This sentence, which gave the film its title, signals to the viewer that while the documentary’s most important element is, of course, its heroine and the contrast between her two portraits.