Life’s Verdict + Everyday

A young girl named Jadzia is sentenced to death for killing a child. Shaken by her fate, Krystyna, who’s an attorney, decides to defend her in the court of the second instance. She learns the story of the girl who was seduced by a stranger during a trip to the countryside. Jadzia is acquitted by the court and wants to start a new life, yet fate holds another fatal surprise. 

The role of Jadzia was the debut of 17-year-old Jadwiga Andrzejewska, who instantly became one of Poland’s most esteemed actors. Krystyna’s role was also a first for Irena Eichlerówna, a well-known theatre actor, who only starred in two films before the war. In many respects, Life’s Verdict stands out from other films produced in the 1930s. The counterpoint in the courtroom scene, or moving the camera in such a way so as not to show the protagonist, are tricks that are unique to this film.

Michał Pieńkowski

Screened alongside Everyday, (dir. Antoni Nowosielski, Stanisław Rodowicz, Poland, 1935, 8 min). A poetic impression which shows the life of Warsaw inhabitants from dusk until dawn: work, rest, entertainment, and nightlife.