Rating: 4/5
Since Cain, the world has neither been intimidated nor ameliorated by punishment. — Karl Marx, Capital Punishment
Waldemar Rekowski steps out of his apartment with a couple of buckets. A rag drops from several stories above in front of him. He takes the rag to the trash room, where another tenant throws away old bread. A cat mews and Waldemar voices his distaste for cats. He takes his buckets to his taxi, turns on the radio, and cleans it. A young woman named Beata picks up a delivery, and Waldemar leers at her, offering her a ride somewhere. Meanwhile, a couple waits for his services. He drives off, ignoring the couple.
Jacek Łazar surveys a listing of movies showing at the theater. The camera is so close we can only make out his silhouette. When we cut to a wide shot of him, we do it through the theater’s warped, dirty glass doors. When he approaches it, we see bars across the window and Jacek looking through them. He wanders the streets—he witnesses two men drag a third away into a room. Jacek gets to Castle Square, where he waits for a taxi, but sees a long line. He stands at the overpass over the highway as he waits. He sees a rock on the ledge, pushing it onto the road, causing an accident.
Piotr Balicki gives his final interview for his bar exam. They ask him why he wants to be a public defender, and he hesitates. When Piotr entered school, the answer was simple. Now, four years later, he isn’t sure anymore. As to whether it gives his life meaning, the answer grows more unsure. His answers allow him to pass the exam, which sends him ecstatically riding through the city.
We follow our three characters as their lives overlap. Jacek will soon kill Waldemar. Piotr will have his first court case representing Jacek.
Each scene is rich with details that give us insights into these characters. Kieślowski is not content to showcase archetypes but flawed and complex characters with competing motivations. Waldemar is bitter, but deep within is a kindness he only shows to those closest to him. Jacek is traumatized by his sister’s death, leaving him aimless and antipathetic. Both characters have a “senseless malice” to them, as Charles V. Eidsvik puts it in his 1990 review. As much as we get to know about them, we still do not understand their choices.
Piotr is our least complex main character, as he argues the film’s thesis, but he is no less compelling. He wants to know people he wouldn’t otherwise meet and hopefully save their lives. He sees capital punishment not as a means of reprimanding the criminal but as a deterrent from others committing the same crime. He cites Article 50 of the Poland Penal Code, which allows the courts to publish the sentence due to the “social effect.” In other words, he finds it a questionable justification for cruel punishment.
Unlike the other episodes of Dekalog and A Short Film About Love, this movie has a yellow tint achieved with green filters, bold contrast, and strong silhouettes around the rim, narrowing our focus and obscuring the edges. Sometimes, the silhouette only lets through the main character onscreen—the other side of the film looks burnt away. Also, the film is shot with handheld cameras, getting us closer to the actions, as opposed to the stillness of the other Dekalogs.
I can’t say these stylistic choices add much. They were cinematographer Slawomir Idziak’s and not Kieślowski’s. I like the handheld footage, but the filters and silhouettes feel arbitrary in places.
The film has almost no score. When it plays, it is dark and tense. Otherwise, the sounds of the city fill many scenes, creating a wall.
These features were present in Dekalog: Five, which focused on the commandment, “Thou shalt not murder.” Here, Piotr’s role is expanded, events are ordered differently, and more details about the arrest are provided. Most importantly, the film eliminates the voice-over from the episode, creating a more nuanced presentation of the events.
This film was released in 1988, the same year Poland finally suspended the death penalty. Some say this film is the reason, but I can’t find definitive proof.
While the film lacks the aesthetic nuances of Kieślowski’s best work, it’s still a must-watch.