060608

(Bez konca, 103 min., Poland 1984, original version with Italian subtitles) starring Grazyna Szapolowska, Maria Pakulnis and Aleksander Bardini

Poland, 1982: Solidarnosc has been banned and martial law is in force. The death of an oppositionist lawyer brings together the fates of his widow Ulla and of a worker called Darek, who has been jailed for organising strikes. Kieslowski paints an unforgettable portrait of the woman, and at the same time he offers us an immensely daring and lucid political denunciation.

The film will be preceded by a screening of

Refrain

(Refren, 10 min., Poland 1972, original version with Italian subtitles) documentary

This documentary probes the daily routine of an undertaker's business, where grief and emotion become mere numbers and heaps of papers to be gone through, reflecting the deeper spirit of a society dominated by control. But in the end, numbers also identify newborn babies in a hospital, and so life goes on.