The new restoration and release of Dekalog, Krzysztof Kieślowski’s masterwork, is a major event to celebrate as it’s one of the twentieth century’s greatest achievements in visual storytelling, a 10-chater epic that’s both psychologically and morally complex.
The complete 10-part epic, newly-restored on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Kieślowski’s death, will begin its US theatrical run at the IFC Center in New York on September 2, Los Angeles on September 17 at Cinefamily, and will be accompanied by a national roll out, followed by the Blu-ray and DVD release on September 27.
Originally made for Polish TV, Dekalog focuses on the residents of a housing complex in late-Communist Poland, whose lives become subtly intertwined as they face emotional dilemmas that are at once deeply personal and universally human. The series’ ten hour-long films draw from the Ten Commandments for thematic inspiration and an overarching structure, and grapple deftly with complex moral and existential questions concerning life, death, love, hate, truth, and the passage of time. Shot by nine different cinematographers, written alongside longtime collaborator Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with stirring music by Zbigniew Preisner and compelling performances from established and unknown actors alike, Dekalog arrestingly explores the unknowable forces that shape our lives.
This new digital transfer of Dekalog was sourced from the 35mm original camera negatives provided by Telewizja Polska and stored at Filmoteka Narodow. When possible, the restoration of each episode was supervised and approved by its respective cinematographer.
DEKALOG: ONE
Krzysztof, a semantics professor and computer hobbyist, is raising his young son, Paweł, to look to science for answers, while Irena, Paweł’s aunt, lives a life rooted in faith. Over the course of one day, both adults are forced to question their belief systems.
Poland * 1988 * 56 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
DEKALOG: TWO
Dorota is in love with two men: her gravely ill husband, Andrzej, and a fellow musician who is the father of her unborn child. Andrzej’s doctor, himself no stranger to loss, is Dorota’s downstairs neighbor; she implores him to swear to a prognosis for her husband, and in doing so puts a very serious decision into his hands.
Poland * 1988 * 59 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
DEKALOG: THREE
It’s Christmas Eve, and Ewa has plotted to pass the hours until morning with her former lover Janusz, a family man, by making him believe her husband has gone missing. During this night of recklessness and lies, the pair grapple with choices made three years ago, when their affair was discovered, and with the value of their present lives.
Poland * 1988 * 58 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
DEKALOG: FOUR
A father and daughter, Michal and Anka, have a unique intimacy, which the college-aged Anka is beginning to feel conflicted about. When she finds an unopened letter from her deceased mother, it seems to justify her attraction to Michal, who may not in fact be her father.
Poland * 1988 * 57 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
DEKALOG: FIVE
Jacek, an angry drifter, murders a taxi driver, brutally and without motive. His case is assigned to Piotr, an idealistic young lawyer who is morally opposed to the death penalty, and their interactions take on an emotional honesty that throws into stark relief for Piotr the injustice of killing of any kind.
Poland * 1988 * 60 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.70:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
DEKALOG: SIX
A teenage postal worker, Tomek, routinely spies on his older neighbor Magda, a sexually liberated artist who lives in the apartment across the courtyard from his. As their private worlds merge, fascination turns to obsession, and the line between love and curiosity becomes violently blurred.
Poland * 1988 * 62 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.70:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
DEKALOG: SEVEN
As a high school student, Majka bore a child, Ania, whom Majka’s mother, Ewa, has been raising as her own. Now that Majka is ready for motherhood, Ewa refuses to let go, leading Majka to kidnap her own daughter, with unexpected emotional consequences.
Poland * 1988 * 57 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
DEKALOG: EIGHT
Zofia, a professor of ethics, is visited by Elzbieta an American researching the fate of Jews who survived World War II. A daytime classroom conversation turns into a night of confrontation, and Zofia is forced to answer for a decision she made decades ago that directly affected the course of Elzbieta’s life.
Poland * 1988 * 56 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
DEKALOG: NINE
Roman and Hanka have a loving marriage, but his impotence has led to her having an affair. The unbearable situation drives Roman to extreme measures both physically and mentally, testing their love and his own will to live.
Poland * 1988 * 60 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
DEKALOG: TEN
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.
Poland * 1988 * 59 minutes * Color * In Polish with English subtitles * 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Screening format: DCP
