Kill It and Leave This Town


Kill It and Leave This Town is a 2020 Polish adult animated psychological horror film directed by Polish animator Mariusz Wilczyński, in his feature film debut, from a script developed alongside Agnieszka Ścibior.
The film concerns a hero, fleeing from despair after losing those dearest to him, who hides in a safe land of memories, where time stands still and all those dear to him are alive.

Voice cast

Production

The film took fourteen years to animate. Wilczyński had originally intended Kill It and Leave This Town to be a short film, however eventually ended up deciding to make it his feature debut. The film was made for Wilczyński to symbolically say goodbye to his family who had died. At the film's premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, Wilczyński said "In a short time, people who were important to me passed away. I did not have time to say goodbye to them, I do it with my animation." He also added; "I don't believe in death, they didn't die, but they live in my imagination."

Release

The film premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on 22 February 2020, and was delayed from theatrical releases due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema. It was released in theatres in Poland on 5 March 2021, and grossed $183,771.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and received several accolades. Kill It and Leave This Town has an approval rating of 93% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 reviews, and an average rating of 7.6/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 69 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

AwardCategoryRecipientResultRef
Ottawa International Animation FestivalBest FeatureMariusz WilczyńskiWon
Polish Film FestivalGolden Lions AwardsMariusz WilczyńskiWon
Polish Film AwardsBest FilmMariusz WilczyńskiWon
Polish Film AwardsBest DirectorMariusz WilczyńskiNomitated
Polish Film AwardsBest ScreenplayMariusz WilczyńskiWon
Polish Film AwardsBest Production DesignMariusz WilczyńskiNomitated
Polish Film AwardsBest Film ScoreTadeusz NalepaWon
Polish Film AwardsBest SoundFranciszek KozłowskiWon
Polish Film AwardsDiscovery of the YearMariusz WilczyńskiNomitated
Polish Film AwardsDiscovery of the YearMariusz WilczyńskiNomitated
ViennaleFipresci PrizeMariusz WilczyńskiWon
Grande Prémio MonstraMariusz WilczyńskiWon