Behind the Wall + Mountains at Dusk

Behind the Wall

Behind the Wall is the starting point of Krzysztof Zanussi’s distinctive cinematic style and an acting tour de force from Maja Komorowska and Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, this intimate drama portrays the clash of two radically different attitudes and life stories: a brilliant young associate professor pursuing an academic career with prospects of a professorship, and a doctoral student unsuccessfully seeking employment after she failed to defend her PhD thesis. Their encounter is also a clash of cold pragmatism and aloofness with emotional turmoil and uncertainty. The film, which seems even more relevant today, talks about the psychological costs of work (it is one of the first Polish depictions of depression), gender bias against women in working life, and whether tower blocks allow room for anything other than loneliness and disillusionment.

Mountains at Dusk

Every year, on the anniversary of a friend’s death, an elderly professor organizes an expedition to the mountains. Questions about the power of friendship are set against the dazzling white of the snowy Tatra landscapes.

Piotr Sadzik

Krzysztof Zanussi (b. 1939) is one of Poland’s most successful filmmakers. Working as a director, screenwriter, and teacher, his credits include outstanding films such as The Structure of Crystal (1969) and The Illumination (1973). Known for his moralistic and philosophical approach to life, he has been exploring the subjects of good, evil, and human mortality in his films for many years, and is one of the main filmmakers associated with the so-called Cinema of Moral Anxiety.