When I was in my early 20s discovering world cinema, there was something about The Three Colors Trilogy that really connected with me. It was one of the first times I had seen a world feel so interconnected yet independent from each other. From the breathtaking cinematography to these small recurrences, the experience of watching Krzysztof Kieslowski work his magic was beyond formative. I long to make art that meaningful, where everything comes together with poetic and spiritual undertones. Many trilogies have come close to matching the magic of The Three Colors, but not in quite the same way.
Long story short, I have slowly worked through his catalog with a similar affection. However, there had long been a white whale in his catalog. It was so unwieldy that even planning to buy the Criterion Collection box set would come at a financial burden. As I talked to Kieslowski fans online, one thing was clear. I HAD to see Dekalog (1989). Even its Letterboxd page wasn’t above calling it “The Citizen Kane (1941) of its time.” It was one of Stanley Kubrick’s favorites. And yet, in my scrounging for well over a decade I have never seen it in an accessible format. If I wanted to see it, I had to buy the box set.
At the ripe old age of 35, that’s just what I did. As the Barnes & Noble flash sale came around, I decided to use my 50% off purchase to finally cross it off. It even showed up in time for my birthday to open and admire the reliably high production values of the packaging. While I have yet to read the dense amount of essays accompanying the four discs, I have worked through the two discs containing the 10 episodes and come out the other side having felt the same sensation that I had when watching The Three Colors Trilogy.
For the sake of continuity, I will be referencing any Dekalog episode by its Roman numeral. For example, the first is Dekalog I and the final is Dekalog X. While this is an overview, I think each chapter is distinct enough to occasionally deserve focus.
For some background, I did grow up going to Catholic school. There was a time when I could recount The Ten Commandments from memory. While I do believe that certain virtues should be followed to be a good person, I can’t say that I’m devout anymore. I haven’t been for roughly 20 years now. Even then, religion has appeared like cicadas over my life, finding it hard to truly remove how I was brought up. Because of that, I have a soft spot for more secular views of faith. Not in the Pureflix vein but more the artists who are truly expressing something like Martin Scorsese and Silence (2016). To me, there is room to grapple with faith as it relates to the modern society.
In that regard, Dekalog hits a grand slam.
Within the opening minutes of Dekalog I, I found a single image that convinced me I was in safe hands. Given that every episode takes place focuses on residents in an apartment complex, it made sense to start with an establishing shots. But even in its mundanity felt like it captured the immensity of what was to come. The skyward angle finds a symmetrical view of the many apartment floors as the horizontal and vertical beams intersect like a crucifix. Given that it lets out to the sky, there is a sense of mortality and that everything is leading to a greater purpose. Even if God is rarely brought up in the many chapters, it does feel like Kieslowski is interested in the ways that people perform these commandments when they don’t think anyone’s judging them. This is a shot that makes everything feel smaller while also suggesting the complex is a stand-in for this mortal coil. We all build on each other’s lives and no person can be good alone. There needs to be a unification in order for any balance to arrive.
From there, Kieslowski has some of the most fun I’ve seen a filmmaker have with a series. As stuffy as the concept of The Ten Commandments would sound, he never leans too much into handwringing. At most, he gives every story a Polish-style irony that makes you see the many rules in new lights. Sometimes it’s traditional drama, but he also bookends with Dekalog I which is the closest to being called “divine intervention” and Dekalog X which turns the simple act of trying to sell stamps into an absurd comedy that ends with the perfect summation. Along the way, there’s a lot of marital affairs, arthouse cinematography, and philosophical debates that connect modern decisions to the work of decades past. Dekalog VIII centers around a woman trying to learn about an incident during World War II from a designer who refuses to talk about more than fabrics.
Along the way, I couldn’t help but feel like the layers to this are far more complicated than my initial watch would reveal. Part of it is that he has a knack for suspense. He’s capable of leading the viewer along believing that this will be a conventional narrative with a familiar outcome. However, something will come along that upsets the logic and reveals the irony of being a good person (or lack thereof).
My favorite is Dekalog VII, which turns “Thou shall not steal” into the story of a woman kidnapping a child only to have several reveals that suggest things aren’t what they appear. Even within the puzzlement, I couldn’t help but feel emotionally connected to the woman’s desperation. The child’s comedic disinterest in the whole affair only added to the muddled tone Kieslowski is playing with. However, with each reveal I thought of everything different. Even the idea of stealing goes from the basic belief that this is a story about kidnapping into stealing emotional sanity. The way Kieslowski manipulates his audience is a form of stealing away trust. I’m still unsure what the ending means or if it’s justifiable, but those are the questions that Dekalog has for us. As Dekalog I shows in profound measure, life isn’t convenient.
I do believe that this is a series that is in desperate need of more published analysis. While many have written lengthy essays about the series writ large, I would come to the end of every episode and want to spend hours researching what I had just watched. I am sure that I missed recurring characters and ideas.
Even on the occasion where I rewatched Dekalog III due to being a bit distracted on first watch, I found greater details popping out. Given that it’s one of the more confusing entries, I found a lot to appreciate as I saw the imagery of Santa Claus and Christmas transitioning into poetic irony. During a time when everyone is celebrating, the central couple are so melancholic that Kieslowski can’t help but use arial shots of a building column separating the street from a classically dressed tree. I even found the presence of a train to hold ambiguous theory especially since a character is mentioned as not enjoying them. Given that it’s also the second consecutive episode to take place in a hospital, it does encourage the viewer to find invisible details, especially since Dekalog II also focuses on extramarital affairs.
The fact that even if Kieslowski keeps pulling from the same well – there’s a lot of troubling relationships here – they manage to reveal something different about the universe. Even as Dekalog II and IX center around life or death situations with dreamlike imagery, neither feels like a retread. Whereas the earlier entry is slower and cryptic, the latter comes across as a very conventional relationship drama where Kieslowski fixates on the symbolism of skis and bicycles. I’d argue even in its constant dark insinuation, there was some sweetness poking through that Dekalog II never got to. Even in this strange symmetry, I think the series is suggesting that everyone’s path is different and not everyone will face a similar fate. Sometimes all that will happen is selling your father’s stamps and getting a raw deal in the process.
At the center of the entire thing is one of the director’s crowning achievements. Outside of any release, Dekalog V would lead to Poland eliminating the death penalty. As a work of art, it’s the most disconnected from the others in style and execution. Whereas I’m still hypothesizing of some greater symmetry between the halves, the lack of complementary pieces here helps it stand out as one of the most exciting and shocking works I’ve seen.
I can only imagine in 1989 that Dekalog V was even more of a home run. I imagine the modern equivalent in terms of surprise is probably “Episode 8” of Twin Peaks: The Return, though less of a fever dream and more direct in meaning. Kieslowski is playing with a lot of ideas here, including the use of filters that make the imagery muddy and disorienting. While there is dialogue throughout, the story functions with silent film logic as cruel characters are unleashed on an unsuspecting world. At one point somebody drops a rock onto a freeway, suggesting a terrible outcome for the party below. For those who don’t know that this is all a commentary on “Thou shall not kill,” the remaining journey will be an even bigger surprise.
As the character acts out the central murder, Kieslowski can’t help but play with imagery once again. The dread in unbearable. Watching the victim suffer creates the desired effect. However, the moment that puts it over the top is a cutaway to the nearby hill where he focuses on a passerby. In our mind, we expect some saving grace even if the victim is beyond hope. Instead, Kieslowski pays tribute to The Seventh Seal (1957) by showing the passerby descending along the hill, as if preparing to disappear from our lives. The subsequent plot finds the rare atonement where the murderer is murdered by the state with a graphic hanging.
That leaves the question if Kieslowski’s greater point is that murder is bad or if he’s comparing it from an individual and state level. Where does retribution end, and is there a better way to achieve it? Like most of these, the amount of thought it produces keeps the series feeling relevant. These are universal philosophical questions. As evident in Poland’s law changes, it’s clear that it was an effective commentary. It would also lead to one of two extended versions of Dekalog with A Short Film About Killing (1988). I have yet to see it, but can’t imagine it’s any more tolerable than the anxiety Dekalog V gave me.
At the end of the day, I think Dekalog exists in a world that may be steeped in irony, but I believe is optimistic. Dekalog I may end with a tragic death and most stories end with some worry, but I return to one of our first images. The apartment complex has so many lives that are interconnected. Nobody is alone in their struggles. There are people who one can turn to and find peace in the world. Maybe the greater message is to follow The Ten Commandments and the world will be a better place. These are examples of going against the rules, so of course there’s some rough roads. I believe this to be true because Dekalog IX and X both end less with perpetual dread and more that despite everything that came before, there’s a smiling face looking back. Life will go on. All we can do is try to do better.
As mentioned, I haven’t travelled too far into the special features of Dekalog’s box set. I am excited to see whatever lies ahead because to me this is one of the most substantial works of art that I have seen. While I may feel different episode to episode with some being stronger than others, exploring the substance within is spiritual. Sometimes the virtues are on the surface. However, there’s so many times that Kieslowski will put recurring ideas in an hour and make you believe it holds greater meaning. Is that a sign of God existing among us? Even the supposed recurring iconography across all 10 makes me hopeful that I’ll still find something. It’s an example of the world feeling bigger and more meaningful than any one moment would suggest. We’re all in this apartment complex called life together. If stop and look around, maybe we’d appreciate it more.
At the end of the day, I maybe don’t love Dekalog as much as The Three Colors Trilogy, but that may just be how much that series opened my mind to the potential of cinema. It almost felt necessary that it took this long to finally buy the box set because I don’t know that I’d appreciate it when I was younger. There was a need to grow and form a greater sense of compassion for the world that wasn’t there. Now, I’m able to see everything and have that lust for life. I need to know more. Watching Dekalog and actually letting it marinate allows everything to feel fuller. This is a patient journey that feels just like those sermons I used to hear at church. Kieslowski is the pastor giving us the gospel. It’s our job to understand what it means to our everyday lives.
Comments
Post a Comment