directed by Andrzej Wajda, drama, 165 min, fr subtitles
In 1976 Agnieszka, a young cinematography student is making her diploma film about Mateusz Birkut – a bricklayer who became a symbol of the proletariat hero in the 50’s. Meeting with people who knew him, she discovers gradually a hidden truth about a man who was not really coping with the system he was living in: while he really believed in worker’s revolution and building housing for all he comes to realise that these are only empty slogans. Becoming useless and an inconvenience for the ruling élite Birkut was crushed by the implacable logic of the communist apparatus.
The obstacles that Agnieszka encounters when shooting and editing her film bring her to realise that that same apparatus is very relevant to the present too.
The same could have happened to Wajda’s film, but finally the authorities accepted its the release and even its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Awards:
Cannes Film Festival 1978 (FIPRESCI Prize)
Gdynia Film Festival 1977 (Critics award)
Plus de détails en français ici