POLISH FILM ACADEMY

The fate of a simple woman, raising her sons on her own, depicted to the background of the history of Poland in the period between 1933-1956. A vision of the three eras of modern Polish history: the crisis of the thirties, the war and occupation, and the Stalinist era. A drama of a mother fighting for her children, juxtaposed with historical processes, the tragic consequences of which she is unable to comprehend.

It is 1933. After her husband's death, Łucja Król is raising her four children on her own: Klemens, Zenon, Roman and Stanisław. She is a simple woman who makes a living washing laundry and cleaning. She becomes friends with a Communist, Dr. Lewen, a Jew. Commissioner Jagosz, of the invastigating police force, offers to pay Łucja for information on Lewen. Łucja, however, informs her friend that he is of interest to the police. Soon after Lewen is arrested and jailed.

War breaks out. Zenon Król is sent to forced labour to the Reich. Łucja takes care of her other sons and provides shelter to Lewen. He in return gives lessons to Klemens, his girlfriend Marta and their mutual friend, Kogut. One day a German soldier bursts into Łucja’s apartment. He recognises Lewen as a Jew and wants to shoot him. Kogut kills the German. Klemens and Kogut are involved in a joint operation. They are to carry out an assassination in a German café. At the time of the shooting, Kogut is killed and Klemens falls into the hands of the Germans. However, he manages to save his life. After the war, Łucja, along with her sons, side with the new communist reality. During the May 1^st parade, she recognises Lewen among the dignitaries and renews their old acquaintance. Party authorities begin to suspect that Klemens had something to do with the death of Kogut, and that he had collaborated with the Germans. Soon after, Klemens is arrested. At the request of Łucja, Dr. Lewen decides to intervene on his behalf. He fails, however, to do anything. He realises that in speaking for Klemens, he may also lose. His wife Marta and brother Stanisław condemn Klemens as an enemy of the people. It is a blow for Łucja. Under torture, Klemens admits to crimes he never committed. Stanisław goes off the rails and is arrested on charges of robbing a kiosk, while Zenon spends his time on pointless ideological disputes with Roman. During the May 1^st celebrations, a distraught Łucja attempts in vain to hand Bierut a letter pleading for intervention. After Stalin's death, the political situation changes. Klemens withdraws his testimony, but soon after dies in a prison hunger strike. Lewen, disappointed with his ideals, takes a walk around Warsaw remembering the old days of faith and hope. Łucja Król, unaware of Klemens’s death, awaits his return to no avail.

Joanna Piątek, Leksykon polskich filmów fabularnych, Warszawa 1996