Decalogue II (1989)
The message is a tad more indistinct than the first one, but with all the same qualities in using few effective instruments to imprint thoughts and questions in the viewers mind. The focus is at just two characters and we only follow them in a short “slice of life” segment, yet enough to get a good understanding of what they are going through and what life experiences they have. The woman in desperate need for clear answers about the prognosis for her very sick husband, and the old doctor not willing to give out certainties. She is unable to make a tough decision herself and tries to get an authoritative figure to make that choice for her. However he has clearly seen a lot of death and suffering in his long time working as a doctor, and while not without empathy, keeps an clinical distance to his patients and their relatives.
Kieslowski really manages to achieve so much with so little. What happens on screen is fairly simple and straight forward, but there is so much to unpack about morality, consequences of choosing, the need for authoritative figures, life and death - and like with his other films, we are given room to think and feel. Kieslowski evokes questions, not answers. The connection to the second commandment wasn’t as clear here as with the first for me, but I don’t think he intends it to be interpreted strictly that way in all cases.
Rating: 4