A towering presence in the world of post-World War II cinema,
Andrzej Wajda has spent his career analysing in great detail
Poland’s gradual social and political evolution with a considerable
amount of sensitivity while maintaining an uncompromising
attitude towards his complex subjects. Famous for drawing
inspiration from Poland’s history, he has created a magnificent
oeuvre of work that devastates even as it informs. Presented with
an honourary Oscar in 2000 for his contributions to world cinema,
Wajda himself is the son of a Polish cavalry officer who was
murdered by the Soviets in what is known as the Katyn massacre –
the subject of Katyn his latest and typically unflinching work.
After Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland and following Joseph
Stalin’s order, on September 17, 1939, all Polish Officers found
themselves in Soviet slavery. Anna, the wife of an Uhlan Regiment
captain is waiting for her man, and receives with disbelief all
obvious evidence of his having been murdered by the Russians.
The wife of a general, in April 1943, learns of her husband’s death
after the Germans discovered mass graves of Polish officers
in the Katyn Forest. Silence and lies about the crime break the
heart of Agnieszka (Magdalena Cielecka), a sister of a pilot,
who shared the lot of the other Polish soldiers. The only survivor
is the captain’s friend Jerzy, who entered the ranks of the Polish
People’s Army.
What is the life of women, waiting for their beloved in the Polish
state after the war going to look like, they being still dependent
on Soviet Russia? Will homeland and freedom still retain the
same meaning for those who have accepted the new system? This
latest offering from one of Europe’s greatest directors is a powerful
work, forcing audiences to acknowledge the sheer scale of brutality
meted out and the grievous consequences for the families affected.
Colm McAuliffe,
Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
*The festival is delighted that actress Danuta Stenka will attend
the screening and participate in a post screening discussion
hosted by Zbyszek Zalinski, Presenter of RTE’s Spectrum.
