movie review

A Short Film About Killing (1988)

2024-03-21

An extended version of episode 5 of the infamous Dekalog series, this version of it is my first exposure to anything this director did and what an introduction it was. The Dekalog series is essentially themed around the ten commandments, this obviously being about the fifth "Thou shalt not kill.", as such the film with just its title and cinematography is building suspense. The color scheme is a ugly green-ish yellow, making everything look bleak and dreadful, just building to the miserable places this movie is going, the heavy use of close-ups with blurry backgrounds adding to the sense of being up and close with the events unfolding. Who is gonna be killed? Who is gonna be the killer? And what is the motivation behind the murder? The movie takes the perspective of three different characters whose paths collide on the titular killing upon which the movie enters its most effective segment. (Spoilers ahead) The trial of then 21 year old murderer Jacek results in him receiving the capital punishment, which was abolished in Poland the year after this movie came out. With Jacek's emotional monologue towards the end, the movie, in my opinion, takes a clear stance against the death penalty. He tells his life story to his lawyer Piotr, who ends up feeling sympathetic to him by the end of it. The political message is enhanced by giving the preparation of the execution just as much screentime as the actual murder previously in the film. In the end, Piotr has to watch Jacek being hung by the prison guards, a shot that is presented dryly and gruesomely without any sense of resolution. This movie is about killing, including both the crime and the punishment.

8/10