Landscape After Battle

Screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Landscape After the Battle is based on short stories by Tadeusz Borowski and gives voice to those who, as in Różewicz’s poem, “survived being led to the slaughter.” The film opens with a striking visual metaphor characteristic of Andrzej Wajda’s cinema: prisoners in striped uniforms run through the snow as the Americans liberate the camp, while Vivaldi’s Autumn plays in the background. Yet, despite their apparent freedom, the survivors are still unable to move freely, forced to remain in DPs (displaced persons camps), or temporary residence centers. Through the eyes of poet Tadeusz (Daniel Olbrychski), we navigate this liminal space of shattered identities and uncertain hopes. Along with Nina (Stanisława Celińska), a Jewish woman planning to escape to Palestine, they try to find themselves in the new reality, only to realize that liberation does not necessarily equate to freedom. The film critic Bolesław Michałek described Landscape After the Battle as “a film about love and Polishness,” yet its relevance endures as a searing meditation on the lingering trauma of the Holocaust.

Joanna Najbor

Andrzej Wajda was the leading light of Polish cinema. He studied Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and Direction at the National Film School in Łódź. He made his debut with A Generation, which tells the story of a group of boys growing up during World War II. In his later films- Ashes and Diamonds, Speed,Katyn, and Walesa: Man of Hope he also deals with Poland’s recent history. In 2000, he received an Oscar for his lifetime achievements. In 2011, he was appointed to the Order of the White Eagle.

Catalog MFF Nowe Horyzonty 17. edition

section partner

screening partner