Dekalog I - V [OmeU], Pol 1989, R: Krzysztof Kieslowski, 300 Min

Ten one-hour films, each one based on one of the Ten Commandments. Each short film explores characters facing one or several moral or ethical dilemmas as they live in an austere housing project in 1980s Poland.

Dekalog: One

"I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me"

A university professor (Henryk Baranowski) trains his young son in the use of reason and the scientific method, but is confronted with the unpredictability of fate. Reason is defied with tragic results

53 Min

Dekalog: Two

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."

Dorota Geller, a married woman, faces a dilemma involving her sick husband's prognosis. Her husband's doctor, who believes in God, is made to swear by his prognosis, but gets it wrong.

57 Min

Dekalog: Three

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" and "Thou shalt not commit adultery".

On Christmas Eve, a man meets up with a former lover who takes him along in search of her missing husband. As they wander the city, they visit taverns, deal with the police and confront the authorities. The young woman, Ewa, takes part in a desperate game of Russian roulette before confessing what really motivates her.

56 Min

Dekalog: Four

"Honor thy father and thy mother".

Anka has a close friendship with her widowed father. When he goes on a trip, she opens a letter left by her mother that she was not supposed to read until after her father's death. In it she learns things she did not know. The relationship between father and daughter suddenly changes.

55 Min

Dekalog: Five

"Thou shalt not murder".

A brutal and seemingly motiveless murder brings together a young drifter, Jacek (Mirosław Baka), a taxi driver (Jan Tesarz), and an idealistic lawyer, Piotr (Krzysztof Globisz). This is the only one of the films with an explicit political stance, reflecting Kieślowski's opposition to the death penalty. An expanded 84-minute cinema version of this episode was released as Krótki film o zabijaniu (A Short Film About Killing)

60 Min

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