Yeah.. yeah!!, I am starting with Dekalog 3 or Dekalog, Trzy in polish, the language of the film. I have seen Part 1 and 2 as well, but that was more than weeks ago. And 3 is the freshest in my memory right now. I might review (I surely will watch them again) them to write about them some other time.
Dekalog is a 10 part 1-hour series of short films made by Krysztof Kieslowski for Polish TV in late 80s. Today, most critics consider it among the 5 best cinematic works ever done. My first exposure with Kieslowski was Three Colors Trilogy. I got hooked. And there in came Dekalog or Decalogue as you would call it in English. Dekalog corresponds to Kieslowski’s take on the 10 commandments. It might sound religious and theological, but that would be vastly misleading. The films are not a direct and a faithful implementation of these commandments. They simply take-off from these commandment and Kieslowski provides his own spin to them.
‘Dekalog 3′ corresponds to the commandment that says “Honor the Sabbath Day”. The plot is about a married man lying to his family to help an ex-lover in need, on the Chrismas eve. Now the beauty of Kieslowski films is their subtelty. They dont scream their motto.. They dont say every damn word that the character intends to communicate.. and not every single frame is meant to drastically take the story forward. There is a lot of symbolism and irony in his work.
If I were to be more forthcoming I could really narrate the entire plot/ story in a single line. The plot itself is not the strength.. the way it uncovers slowly, thereby telling us more about the people than the story itself. That truly is Kieslowski’s strength. His characters are real people. Not only normal looking people but people who talk and act like you and me. They make mistakes, talk nonsense, and act wierd as well at times.
The theme of the film is loneliness and pining for lost love. Ewa, the ex-lover disturbs the christmas eve festivities at Janusz house to ask for help looking for his missing husband. Janusz is under no obligation to accompany her on a cold winter night away from family. But he does, that too lying to his family about tracking his stolen car. There is a constant undercurrent of bitterness and a sense of having been betrayed within Ewa. At times it comes out strongly almost willing to destroy Janusz and her too. This sense of longing for Janusz seems soo strong at times that we question her undetered commitment to finding her missing husband. Similarly Janusz keeps up with her trying to locate the missing man, even though we see him doubting if he really is missing. He doesnt just walk away. Infact he feels drawn towards her.. trying to explain his situation when things went wrong in the past. As the story unfolds, it isnt sure whether he will desert his family for Ewa at the end of this night. There is also this sequence where Janusz also begets Ewa’s self-destructive streak. Clearly he isnt there just to help out a ‘friend’ in need. There is soo much conflict in both of these characters that every single frame smolders. Beneath the spoken word, there is a layer or two of unspoken expression, that draws you. You arent really sure of what is happening within them. That for me was truly captivating.
Infact, taking a departure from Kieslowski’s subtelty, there are a few sequences that seem to indulge in an over-the-topness. But if you revisit these sequences, you realize it isnt really about the action taking place outside, but inside these characters, which is still subtle and needs empathy to really unravel.
I dont claim to being a great cinema critic or even someone who follows all the symbolism that the great masters capture. But I feel that Dekalog-3 is one instance where I did catch on to the drift that Kieslowski drew. Maybe it really is empathy.
