BEZ ZNIECZULENIA

1978 / 125 min / color

Renowned journalist Jerzy Michalowski returns to Poland from his latest trip abroad. To his surprise, he learns that his wife Ewa has decided to leave him. His personal problems coincide with professional trouble, both on television and at the university — he’s a favorite lecturer among the students. On top of that, a trip abroad that he was really counting on gets canceled. Jerzy tries to reconcile with his wife, completely unable to understand her decision. When he discovers that she’s become involved with his colleague, it becomes clear to him that it’s a lost cause — but he doesn’t agree to a divorce. The whole thing ends up in court, where Jerzy has to face false accusations from his wife. Rough Treatment is regarded as one of the definitive works of moral anxiety cinema. This dramatic story about a prominent journalist becomes a pretext for Andrzej Wajda to raise important moral questions and expose the mechanisms of the communist reality. The film, for which Wajda co-wrote the screenplay with Agnieszka Holland, won an award at Cannes. It’s a great showcase for lead actor Zbigniew Zapasiewicz.

• Cannes IFF – Ecumenical Jury Prize
• Gdańsk PFF – Grand Prix of the Festival “Gdańsk Golden Lions”