Live and be yourself In many ways, the autobiographical film of Zanussi, in which he invested both his talent and his soul.
The atmosphere of communist Poland, the Stalin era, is very similar to the Soviet one. They are, of course, only “leaders,” one ideology. An ideology that kills all individuality, the desire for inner freedom, giving rise to hypocrites, incompetents, snitchers and sycophants. It is in this atmosphere that our heroes live and strive to preserve themselves. The young Hubert, whose father emigrated to England, must now hide it. And his aunt, Ida, is a slightly eccentric woman who will teach him how to survive in a system where you can’t tell the truth, but you can’t turn into a liar.
Horses and horse racing, to which Ida is passionately attached, are for them and their friends, a breath of fresh air in a suffocating atmosphere, only in the saddle you can breathe fully. This is a kind of symbol of inner freedom, the struggle for self-consciousness.
Despite the excellent play, the entire cast, I can not but highlight Bartosz Obukhovich, who conveyed the whole range of feelings, all the children's maximalism, firmness, simplicity and sincerity of the child. Being by nature direct and honest, he cannot accept that everyone around him lies. It is especially painful when people close to him lie. With his whole, strong and pure, childish soul, he rejects the need to twist and deceive, but in another way, he cannot survive in this system. What are some scenes of confession, when a child does not formally enumerate sins, but seeks ways and advice on how to live and not sin, if everything around you is against you?
A live film, with real fates, good actors and an interesting plot. Also an excellent illustration of the era, portraits of officials (minister, school principal, diplomat...). I did not see any flaws in the picture, so the rating is highest.
10 out of 10