Piotr Lysak

Quote:
The content of the film is the experiences of the titular “young Varsovian”, Jerzy Bielecki. Through the story of his successive birthdays, a typical biography of a member of the “Columbus generation” is shown. Jerzy’s maturation is combined with his generational experiences – military service in the pre-war army, participation in the September campaign, fighting in the underground and the Warsaw Uprising. The hero’s wartime experiences are combined with his love for Teresa, who takes part in underground activities with him.Read More »

Quote:
Set before the first Wold War in part of Poland under Austrain occupation, the story of a young boy in primary school who later grows up to become a rebellious, poetic-minded teen in the same school when the national movement toward liberation is under way. The story of a country where church and state work together to suppress the human spirit.Read More »

Plot
In May of 1983, a man turns 49 and, with his 17-year old son, journeys to the village in Baden that he left 40 years before. He wants to discover what happened then, the truth about an affair his mother had with a young Polish prisoner of war, how the authorities came to learn of it, the lovers’ arrest, and the aftermath. While his son takes Polaroid photographs, he retraces the steps of his childhood and interviews those who should remember. The story is disclosed in flashbacks that focus on the lovers (Paulina and Stanislaus), on a jealous and conniving neighbor, and on Mayer, the local SS commander who wants to find a way out of inevitable consequences.

Nominated
Venice Film Festival – Golden Lion – 1983Read More »