Polish movie ‘A Night At The Kindergarten’ explained: What happens to Justyna?

In the comedy “A Night At The Kindergarten,” a father tries to prevent his girlfriend’s son from being expelled from school. The Polish Netflix film, directed by Rafal Skalski, chronicles the simultaneous experiences of a number of parents as they prepare for the annual school play. The film, in which Piotr Witkowski and Lena Gora play leading roles, does an excellent job of depicting the difficulties of fatherhood.

Each parent involved in the performance has their own issues to deal with. Every family has different challenges to overcome, ranging from their children never paying attention to them to children who are terrified of their own parents. Jokes and chaotic circumstances surround the events of the film. Originally titled “Noc W Przedszkolu”, the film highlights how difficult it can sometimes be to restrain children. Let’s take a closer look at the plot and resolution of the movie “A Night At The Kindergarten”. Spoilers follow!

A Night at Kindergarten Plot Synopsis

Eryk is a carefree man with no reliable work. He claims to be a sound engineer, but he consistently makes mistakes and is unemployed most of the time. Tytus is the name of Dorota, his girlfriend, son. The young child is challenging to deal with and struggles in kindergarten. A meeting is called by the Little Ray of Sunshine school parent committee to discuss Tytus and the upcoming school play.

Eryk attends the meeting at Dorota’s house to show he is trustworthy and to avoid having to watch Tytus. Together with other parent members, Justyna, the chairman of the committee, greets him. Eryk overhears Justyna and Krystyna discussing how to expel Tytus for his disruptive behavior after a brief introduction. His profanity and bullying have made all the other students at school dislike him.

The parents discuss their specific problems and issues as they practice for the annual Nativity play. Together with Sandra, Tadeusz, Kazimierz, Kasia, Leslaw and Hamza are also on the committee. They discuss their experiences as parents and how they solved any problems. Meanwhile, Justyna and Eryk engage in a mental duel to get everyone on the committee to vote for them. Eryk wants Tytus to stay, while Justyna wants him expelled. In addition, Eryk fears that Dorota would leave him if the eviction took place under his supervision.

Tensions between the members rise as the evening progresses. It is clear that Justyna’s dictatorial attitude also irritates Baska. Justyna’s persistent nagging prevents Baska from leading the school in the way she has learned from experience. Together, Eryk and Baska execute a strategy to stop her gloomy demeanor. Baska pretends to quit her job, which ends up wrong-footing every parent. They choose to replace the chairman of the committee, because they don’t think they can find a better director.

They eventually lose control after consuming too much alcohol and marijuana. They don’t practice for the part, and as a result it turns out to be a disaster. In a fit of rage, the parents trash the school before falling asleep. As the kids and other parents wait for the school play to be performed the next morning, new problems arise. The play goes horribly wrong because everyone is so drunk. The climax of the film reveals the later fates of Eryk, Tytus and Justyna.

End of a night at kindergarten: is Tytus expelled?

Baska breaks her agreement with Eryk after her parents stop her from dropping out. Baska had to guarantee Tytus’ continued enrollment in the school in exchange for Justyna’s removal from the position of head of the committee. But at the last minute, Baska tells Eryk that keeping Tytus in school is logistically impossible. He needs constant care and supervision to stay disciplined and focused.

After all this turmoil, Eryk eventually returns to square one. He makes a decision to set things right. They decide to hire a personal caretaker for Tytus after devising a plan together. Tytus can be constantly monitored in this way and eventually mature. Dorota is delighted to find a solution and understands that her son can receive a quality education despite his difficulties.

In his capacity as friend and caretaker, Eryk asks Tytus if he can accompany him to school. This shows Eryk’s personal development as he takes on more responsibility. Plus, it offers Eryk and Tytus a chance to interact and bond with each other. Tytus nods in agreement and hands Eryk back his headphones. Their romance can now begin again. Tytus’ illustrations depicting Eryk as a superhero sparked a new love and bond between the two. It convinced Eryk to try to mend his bond with Tytus.

Ironic that an imprudent man like Eryk would take on such a duty for his partner. He mocks parents who have children at the beginning of the film and labels children as the offspring of demons. Instead, Tytus’ paintings transform the situation as he begins to care and love the child. Moreover, at first he only wanted to please his betrothed, but as time goes by, he starts to care a lot about Tytus. Although Eryk refers to Tytus as his stepson, he treats him as his own son.

What will happen to Justyna?

Justyna is portrayed as a feisty and independent woman. She takes her responsibility as chairman of the committee seriously. As the movie progresses, we discover that she beats cancer and is victorious after battling the condition. As a result, she takes stock of her life and instills a spirit of defiance in her daughter.

She is determined to expel Tytus from school for locking her daughter Kinga in a coffin. Kinga, terrified and alone herself, cut her arms and spilled her blood into the box. Justyna learns from Krystyna that Tytus did not lock Kinga in the box. Kinga herself took action because she was terrified to visit Justyna at home. Upon hearing this, Justyna begins to unravel. All parents in the neighborhood are threatened and cursed by her. She points a gun at everyone in a fit of rage, and it accidentally fires. She is shocked and burps as a result. Consequently, everyone starts laughing.

Justyna leaves the room inconsolable after feeling humiliated. Justyna finally turns around in the morning as the parents get ready for the performance and vows to be her authentic self for the benefit of her daughter. She takes off her wig and embraces her natural beauty. In the end, Justyna realizes the importance of being true to yourself and being honest with yourself over the importance of being strong all the time. She becomes aware of the pressure she had put on her daughter to be strong and perfect all the time.

Finally, Kinga is shocked to find her mother without a wig and hugs her warmly. Children should see their parents as human beings first and foremost. In front of their children, parents should feel comfortable being open and letting their impeccable facade fall. Children absorb what they see. This will teach children to be open to sharing and expressing themselves and being honest about their feelings.