Skazany

I remember reading some article in the Polish "Film" magazine in 1976 according to which "Skazany" (Convicted) was the single ambitious and good movie made in Poland that year. Well, I don't remember all films from the year 1976, but "Skazany" is definitely a good movie that deserves to be remembered. It is about two brothers who are close to one another, the older of whom is mortally ill. The younger one tries to support him during his illness and alleviate his pain. He doesn't call for help when the older brother tries to commit suicide, acting out of brotherly love and thinking it is the best decision to be made. But he is then brought to trial because in acting this way he broke the law. So the problem here is as relevant today as it was almost half a century ago. "Skazany" shows the relation between two brothers in an unassuming and touching way, with great performances of Zdzislaw Kozien and Wociech Pszoniak. The plot takes place in Gdynia, and the background is shown so well as if it were a document of those times (film director Andrzej Trzos-Rastawiecki also specialized in documentaries). There are also some good scenes in the courtroom with the participation of some good and popular at that time actors like Zygmunt Hubner, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz and Piotr Pawlowski. It was a real pleasure for me to watch a little jewel like that. So in some broader sense, the film asks a question where our common sense and internal moral code end and the rules of the law start. This question will never be outdated.