Kieslowski's use of the television at the beginning and end of the film is powerful in generating questions and then answering the same questions as the film ends. It lets us into Pavel's aunt's world, tells us his story, and then releases us back into the present to continue our lives, hopefully different for having been a part of Pavel's story.
Pavel's story is a sad one, yet one that is necessary to be told. Kieslowski's use of the pigeon and the dead dog to raise questions of the meaning of life and death are spot-on. As Pavel asks his father those questions, we can identify with both of them, as most of us have pondered these important concepts at one time or another. His father's stark answers are not satisfactory to Pavel, and he seeks his Christian aunt's opinions as well.
Kieslowski portrays the father as an athiest, but a loving atheist who wants his son to be safe. When Pavel finds the skates we get a sense of impending doom, especially once the father double checks the thickness of the ice after having run the calculations on the computer. The father is humanized in this moment, and loses a bit of his coldness. It is at this moment we see that the father doesn't completely trust his computers, which means he may not completely trust his own atheist worldview.
The father's refusal to go to the ice and check immediately on Pavel is maddening, since that is the first place we want to go. Our first instinct is to rule out the worst case scenario, but the director wants to draw us further into the father's atheist view first. Kieslowski has the father exhaust all other options before finally admitting to himself that something terrible may have happened. After tracking down the reunited family that left the scene near the ice, the father realizes Pavel is likely dead, and collapses in a dark stairwell and the realization sinks in. The use of the dark tones in this film pays off by pulling us into the father's grief.
The director does a fantastic job of illustrating punishment for putting other things in place of God. The father trusted his computers, his reasoning, even his own physical tests, but had no faith in God. In the end, the father is overcome and returns to the church, tossing the religious items on the altar, perhaps in some way getting back at God for taking Pavel. But the fact that he came back to the church indicates that he blames God and therefore acknowledges His existence.
The ahha! moment comes when the scene cuts to the image of Pavel running through the school, and it is thoroughly satisfying. It is a visual trope that neatly answers the questions raised at the beginning of the film. Another visual trope is the observer at the fire near the lake, who is mysteriously absent during the key moments of the film, when the kids fell in, and when they are pulled out of the water. I'm not certain of his significance, but Kieslowski puts several shots of this man throughout the film. I believe he could represent "us," the audience. Kieslowski has never revealed why he put those specific shots in the film, but I believe it is simply another filmic device that encourages us to engage the film and search for meaning in each frame.
I really loved that moment at the end when it all clicks - the woman at the beginning watching the TV screen and crying is Pawel's aunt who is watching the footage shot by the TV crew that came to Pawel's school. That type of connection created by "ah-hah moments" is rarely seen in Hollywood-style blockbusters who prefer to hand everything to you on a platter. I liked how Kieslowski used a narrative pattern with little dialogue. Instead he used body language and facial expressions which do not require a language to understand. The close up of an emotional crying face centered in the screen was definitely a visual trope in this episode.Did you see any others? However, the use of little dialogue also leaves me with a few questions? Were two bodies removed from the lake? If so, was the unidentified man by the fire the second body? If not, who was he?
ReplyDeleteEpisode of Kieslowski's The Decalogue is of the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me.” The film looks at idolizing things that seem to be very good and reliable in life such as science and technology. In the film we see that science and technology can actually hurt human beings rather than help them. According to http://www.about-poland.com/polish-entertainment.html, “The most popular Polish entertainment by far is Television.” “Satellite dishes appear to cover the buildings in most Polish towns or cities.” Even though these are just TV’s being discussed we can see how Poland has a high demand for Virtual technology. I am sure computers would fall under this category as well. People from Poland seem to rely on television for entertainment so I would not be surprised if people rely heavily on computers for information. In episode 1 of Kieslowski's The Decalogue, this idolity of technology is exactly what has happened leading tragedy in a family life.
ReplyDeleteAs we look at the religious aspect of episode 1, we see that Krzysztof is not a religious man but an atheist. However, at the end he does enter the church and flips over the alter. This can show he may be blaming God for his loss, which would also imply that he does believe to some extent that there is a God. According to http://www.about-poland.com/polish-culture.html, “Virtually every home in Poland has a crucifix displayed prominently. Theoretically, over 90% of the population are catholic.” “Many Poles are very critical of their catholic church, feeling that the church does not give practical help or much in the way of spiritual guidance.” This could possibly explain the reason for Krzysztof doubt and atheistic views. When Krzysztof son was taken from him, he either felt the need to go and blame something or someone, or he may have been mad at God but at the same time looking for his comfort when he attempted to cross himself with the holy water.