Cinema of Conflict - Four Films By Krzystof Kieslowski

Collection of Polish dramas from director Krzysztof Kieslowski.

In 'The Scar' (1976), Kieslowski's theatrical debut, Stefan Bednarz (Franciszek Pieczka) is put in charge of the construction of a large chemical plant in the impoverished Polish town of Olecko.

Although it will improve the town's prospects and provide badly needed jobs, the factory will also mean the destruction of many homes and an adverse affect on the environment.

Despite his best efforts to convince the townspeople of the benefits, Bednarz has difficulty reconciling the gulf between his good intentions and reality.

In 'Camera Buff' (1979) Filip (Jerzy Stuhr), a clerk in a small Polish town, buys an 8mm camera to film his baby being born.

His bosses take an interest in it and commission him to film the company's 25th anniversary celebrations.

When the result wins a prize at an amateur film festival Filip, encouraged by his success, becomes consumed by his new passion.

He soon discovers, however, that filmmaking has unexpected consequences as tensions rise in his marriage and his managers begin to impose censorship on his films. 'Blind Chance' (1987) is set in Poland in the politically turbulent late 1970s as a young man, Witek (Boguslaw Linda), is running to catch a train.

From this banal event come three possible outcomes. In the first scenario, Witek catches the train on which he meets a group of hard-line communists and joins the party.

In the second, as Witek runs for the train, his path is blocked by a ticket inspector, the ensuing struggle leading to his arrest and subsequent involvement in the political underground.

In the final scenario, Witek misses the train and he returns to the medical studies that he intended to abandon.

He falls in love with a female student, gets married and lives a quiet life as a doctor, showing little interest in politics.

Finally, 'No End' (1985), a blend of ghost story, political drama and meditation on the nature of love, follows Antek (Jerzy Radziwilowicz), the ghost of a young lawyer, as he observes the realm of the living in Poland in 1982.