Koniec

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.

The manager of a small provincial cinema finds her lost son, and he tries to save the movie theater.

The series evokes the events of 1900-35 - from the reign of Emperor Wilhelm II, through World War I, the birth of the Independent Poland, the Silesian Uprisings, to the increasingly turbulent period of the rising tide of fascism. The action takes place mainly in the palace of the Dukes of Pszczyna, where the last great descendant of the von Teuss family resides. Prince Hans Fredrich marries the beautiful Englishwoman, Princess Daisy, and has three sons with her. Their fate, the choice of completely different life paths and even different nationalities reflect the enormously complicated mutual relations between the Polish and German elements in the border areas.

Witek runs after a train. Three variations follow on how such a seemingly banal incident could influence the rest of Witek's life.

Tri-City. The hot summer of '76. The protagonist, a graduate of the Gdansk University of Technology, starts working in a design office. He spends his free time repairing his beloved Jeep, awaiting the arrival of his girlfriend Ola, who is studying abroad. He already has an apartment, he has a job, he has a girlfriend, he has only one thing missing - furniture. And getting them is not at all easy.

In 2059 scientists manage to revive two people after 80 years of suspended animation - a boy Marek Torlewski and a dictator Muanty, who quickly becomes a serious threat to humanity. Synteza is an adaptation of a novel by Maciej Wojtyszko.

The year is 1939. The world is falling into chaos. Thousands of Poles, held by the Russians in a former monastery, are subjected to brutal indoctrination. An ambitious enemy agent makes it a point of honour to break the resistance of one of them. He is a young, world-famous pianist, respected by his fellow prisoners. His capitulation may result in winning many others over to the enemy's side. An insidious game begins, full of sophisticated manipulation, threats and promises. Can the young artist, a loving father and husband, win a duel with an agent backed by the power and perfidy of the Russian system?

Via the New York Times: "The Hungarian director Gyula Gazdag has transposed the middle section of Balzac's "Lost Illusions" from Paris in the mid-19th century to the Budapest of 1968... it tells of Laszlo Sardi - Balzac's Lucien Chardon - and his efforts to launch his literary career amid the snobbery and sophistication of a big city."

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.

Danton and Robespierre were close friends and fought together in the French Revolution, but by 1793 Robespierre was France's ruler, determined to wipe out opposition with a series of mass executions that became known as the Reign of Terror. Danton, well known as a spokesman of the people, had been living in relative solitude in the French countryside, but he returned to Paris to challenge Robespierre's violent rule and call for the people to demand their rights. Robespierre, however, could not accept such a challenge, even from a friend and colleague, and he blocked out a plan for the capture and execution of Danton and his allies.

Sixteen-year-old Sara's father is a wealthy gangster and has a lot of enemies. Her father makes clear that whoever touches Sara will die and he looks for the right bodyguard to protect her.

In 1945, as Stalin sets his hands over Poland, famous painter Wladislaw Strzeminski refuses to compromise on his art with the doctrines of social realism. Persecuted, expelled from his chair at the University, he's eventually erased from the museums' walls. With the help of some of his students, he starts fighting against the Party and becomes the symbol of an artistic resistance against intellectual tyranny.