Cma

"The Moth" is the story of a radio host, Jan (Roman Wilhelmi), who hosts a live night program. During the broadcast, he talks to listeners who have personal problems and are looking for support and understanding. Intensive, mentally exhausting night work, sharing his life between his drinking wife (Iwona Bielska) and his lover (Anna Seniuk), leads to the disintegration of his personality. Jan, while helping others, is unable to help himself. I watched "The Moth" twice-when it was released and quite recently. But I have to admit that I liked it better in 1980, because its dark and intense atmosphere corresponded to the climate of that time: when we lived under the dictatorship, the economy was not working, the rules of reason and common sense didn't apply, and we were surrounded by corruption and lies. So I am not sure how much "The Moth" is a product of its time and if many of today's viewers can find something universal and timeless in it. But I think that overall it is worth seeing even today. The film is black and white, has a unique climate of its own, and is a document of the dark feelings and hopelessness of the final years of communism in Poland. It is also vaguely reminiscent of the films of Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Zanussi, so the fans of those two film directors may find something interesting in "The Moth" too. The additional and indisputable value is a good performance of some remarkable actors like Roman Wilhemi, Anna Seniuk, Jerzy Trela and Piotr Fronczewski. I think that Roman Wilhelmi received several awards for his role in "The Moth".