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Michał Rogalski's David and the Elves is the English dub of the Polish film Dawid i Elfy. The movie was released on December 6 on Netflix and joined a horde of Christmas films released during the holiday season. But what makes this one different is that it's not the usual New York Christmas depicted on screen.
David and the Elves stars Cyprian Gabrowski and Jakub Zając in the lead roles of David and Albert respectively. Other cast members include Cezary Żak, Monika Krzywkowska, Anna Smołownik, and Michał Czernecki.
'David and the Elves' synopsis
David and the Elves is the story of 11-year-old David, whose Christmas has turned lackluster ever since his move to Warsaw. This endearing young boy who still believes in the Christmas myths of Santa Claus, elves, and other magical creatures misses his truly joyous Christmas celebrations back at his grandparents' house. His only Christmas wish is to meet Albert the elf which soon comes true.
Albert, the jaded and overworked elf, is tired of working on Christmas, a holiday that's meant to be celebrated with others. He decides to come down to meet David and other humans to celebrate Christmas with them. However, the adventure soon turns detrimental for Albert when he realizes that humans have lost the Christmas spirit and have become ill-natured.
David, however, still retains the childlike innocence and cheerfulness that eventually revives not just Albert, but also the Christmas spirit. David and the Elves, thus conveys a beautiful message about the importance of love, kindness, and kinship needed to enjoy times of togetherness like Christmas.
Christmas in Poland
David and the Elves, being a Polish film originally, was shot at two locations in Poland. The scenes of David's grandparents' house are set in Zakopane, Poland, also known as the winter capital of Poland. The idyllic resort town invokes a sense of wanderlust in viewers and makes them wish they were in Poland for Christmas. The other location is that of Warsaw, the exquisite capital city of Poland.
Apart from the setting, the traditions and delicacies of Christmas are also Polish, which is very different from the usual American Christmas seen in films and TV shows. From carols and nativity plays to pierogies, borscht, poppy seed cake, makowiec, and dry fruits, it was all a welcome departure from the usual eggnogs and candy canes.
David and the Elves is now available to watch on Netflix.
