Hanna Szczerkowska

The Ten Commandments, exact and uncompromising, literally cast in stone, continues to provide a source of moral conflict in contemporary society. In the ten part collection of films, The Decalogue, Krzysztof Kieślowski examines the dilemma of fundamental sin in the lives of ordinary Warsaw citizens.

Nikodem Dyzma immigrates from the eastern part of Poland to the capital in the hope for possibilities to make a living. He is in need, very poor and forced to look for basic food and shelter. Yet, on a day when an unexpected invitation appears, his life changes dramatically.

Zofia, a professor of ethics, is visited by Elżbieta, an American researching the fate of Jews who survived World War II. A daytime classroom conversation turns into a night of confrontation, and Zofia is forced to answer for a decision she made decades ago that directly affected the course of Elżbieta’s life.

An actor is married to a dancer whose drug addiction drives them to desperation when World War II breaks out.

The Ten Commandments, exact and uncompromising, literally cast in stone, continues to provide a source of moral conflict in contemporary society. In the ten part collection of films, The Decalogue, Krzysztof Kieślowski examines the dilemma of fundamental sin in the lives of ordinary Warsaw citizens.

Nikodem Dyzma immigrates from the eastern part of Poland to the capital in the hope for possibilities to make a living. He is in need, very poor and forced to look for basic food and shelter. Yet, on a day when an unexpected invitation appears, his life changes dramatically.