Rat in the Crown

Across the Border is a polyglot portrait of ideas about borders at the beginning of the 21st century. In an episodic journey five directors from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia, present their view and vision of nation, identity and Europe: By placing their personal cinematographic imprint on multifaceted portraits of their home countries, they open up a broad space for encounters with the strangers next door.

Tomek, Marcel Lozinski's son, is eighteen now. Exactly twelve years ago, when he was six, his father filmed him while he was visiting a park in Warsaw. Tomek used to stop next to some old people sitting on the benches, and, with childish frankness, would ask them questions about joy, loneliness, fear of death, dreams, love and lack of love. Now, after twelve years, on his birthday, Tomek comes back to the garden of his childhood. A magical encounter will commence.

The Ten Commandments, exact and uncompromising, literally cast in stone, continues to provide a source of moral conflict in contemporary society. In the ten part collection of films, The Decalogue, Krzysztof Kieślowski examines the dilemma of fundamental sin in the lives of ordinary Warsaw citizens.

King Błystek of the Dwarf Kingdom, wary of Winter sends his chronicler, Koszałek to search for signs of Spring.

Jerzy and Artur’s father dies, leaving behind a valuable stamp collection, which, they discover, is coveted by dealers of varying degrees of shadiness. The more involved the brothers get in their father’s world, the more dire and comical their situation becomes.

It is a bitter story about a middle-aged man, who hates his life and other people, including himself. Adam Miauczynski, the character known from director Marek Koterski's previous films, is a 49 year-old teacher, who reads poetry during school lessons and later goes home swearing and calling his neighbours' names. The worst pain for him is the next 5 minutes of living. He doesn't accept himself and even everyday contacts with others cause his aggression. Though constantly dreaming of a romantic love, he is not bold enough to make his dreams come true. The desperate Miauczynski personalizes our own fears and obsessions, which have become so visible recently.

When a demanding and seemingly tactless music teacher from Warsaw is assigned to a special needs educational centre in a remote village, he and his new group of students become increasingly at odds with each other as they struggle to understand and accept each other’s ways. They have but one month to reconcile their differences, and make something meaningful together.

Three separate stories depicting the tense everyday life during occupation, as seen through the eyes of children. In “On the Road,” the two main protagonists are lost in the September’s strife: a young boy, and a soldier transporting the valueless documents of his broken unit. In “Letter from the Concentration Camp” the story’s protagonists are young boys who help their mother during the hardships of the occupation. Their treasure is an officer uniform belonging their father who is being held in a prisoner of war camp. In “Blood Drop,” the Germans find a set of typical Aryan characteristics in this story’s protagonist – a Jewish girl, hiding in an orphanage.

Michał, a mature man and father, is full of bitterness, regret, and longing for unfulfilled youthful dreams of true love. He reminisces about all his past lovers. With his first, Asia, he went on a seaside camping trip. He was 19 at the time, and she was two years younger. Despite his unambiguous advances, the girl resisted for a long time. Eventually, however, she gave in. For Michał, it was the proverbial pebble that caused an avalanche.

It seems that nothing can ruin Henryk’s (Wieńczysław Gliński) happy life. He’s a respected lawyer with a loving son and wife. One day, he receives a letter from the prosecutor’s office. He’s accused of collaborating with the Gestapo. It’s an echo of his past under occupation.

A film about the international community of people fascinated with World War II, who fulfill their ambitions in computer games. They take the role of pilots of flying machines during WWII and participate in air battles in real time. Some of them treat it as a hobby, but for many of them the game has become their life. Has a new human species been born - Homo Virtualis?

The life of a grumpy 40-year-old man living with his wife in a high-rise block. Every day is like the other - quarrels over dinner, taking out garbage, annoying neighbours, rides in elevators, lost socks. He hates everybody, especially his wife. Not even sexual fantasies are an escape from the hell he imposes on himself.

Lavish romantic melodrama, obsessively concerned with sex. Maryska's husband is off to war. He soon is reported missing, and she does not protest much when is seduced by the husband's friend, a seedy professor with sickly wife and other mistresses on the side. However, the love of Maryska's life turns out to be a shy 17-year old, son of friends with whom she goes to stay.

A young teacher and a conservative mayor fight over influence in a village in Western Poland, all while falling in love with each other.

It's 1940. German forces are prevailing over Allies across Europe. The crew of the Polish submarine, now serving in the Royal Navy, is waging a heroic fight against the invisible enemy.

What initially appears a hymn to equestrianism soon turns into an illustration of the kind of horrible injuries horses can suffer in riding and jumping contests.