Witness

Winner of two Academy Awards and nominated in six additional categories, Witness stands as one of Peter Weir’s most poignant films. Beneath its seemingly straightforward crime story lies a richly layered exploration of culture, identity, and human connection—much like the insular Amish community at its center. The film opens with gripping suspense: a young Amish boy witnesses a brutal murder, and his safety becomes the responsibility of a hardened detective. But as the investigation unfolds, both Weir and his protagonist become more captivated by the bonds that form—romantic, paternal, and cultural—than by the crime itself. At its heart, Witness is an unconventional and deeply affecting love story, anchored by the smoldering chemistry between the charismatic Harrison Ford and the luminous Kelly McGillis, in what remains her most defining role outside of Top Gun.

Katarzyna Kebernik

Peter Weir was norn August in 1944 in Sydney, Australia, studied art and law at the University of Sydney. After leaving university he joined Sydney television. During this period he made his first two experimental short films and several documentaries. Weir’s first full-length feature film was the underground cult classic, The Cars that Ate Paris (1974). This paved the way for considerable success in Australia and internationally with the atmospheric Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975). After realisation of several acclaimed pictures in Australia he started a career in Hollywood. He made more accessible movies like Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Dead Poets Society, Green Card, Fearless, The Truman Show and Master and Commander.

Catalog MFF Nowe Horyzonty 7. edition