The film begins in a rather calm way, with a close portrait of one of the patients. The students ask the woman to smile and then to make some funny faces. The whole thing has a tone which is a little playful and warm-hearted, but a moment later, the pace speeds up dramatically, and dynamic electronic music foreshadows what the director intended the film to be – the viewer is supposed to feel just like the protagonists feel in any given moment, to be as close to the students’ emotions as possible. Together with the students, we are hurled into their work, into the midst of stressful situations which are full of tension. In the film by Drzewiecki, the young people have to face many things for the first time, among others, they find out the hard way how one experiences the contact with stubborn patients, just like it is shown in a great scene, in which one of the interns tries to convince an elderly lady to stay in the hospital. Most of all, however, they have to face themselves, to overcome their fears and to take their first steps in their jobs. In one second, they experience the death of a patient, and in a moment, they rush to rescue another person. What happens in the students’ heads? What do they feel? How do they cope with all this? Drzewiecki tries to bring us as close to the protagonists as possible so that we can feel their dilemmas.
“The Briefing” shows the relationship between the students and older doctors in a very interesting way. The superiors help the students in the best way they can, they teach, make demands, check on them and accompany them during their first attempts. They do not abandon the interns even in the worst situations, always provide support, advice and prepare them for the worst: Each of you will have your own cemetery, that is certain, says one of the doctors, when the young people cope with the patients’ deaths.
“The Briefing” is a film composed of patient watchful observations which, together with efficient editing, form a tiny universal treatise on growing up. By not distorting anything and following what life gives, Drzewiecki managed to portray young people on the threshold of adulthood.