The story of what daily life was like in Poland under communism: private conversations, cruel interrogations, recruitment attempts, recorded and filmed with hidden devices; of how the secret services spied on every activity of ordinary citizens: nothing escaped the brutal system of control developed by the Soviets in the name of freedom.

Leopold Trepper, WWII spy mastermind, faced a Kafkaesque struggle in 1970s Poland. Once a WWII hero, his "Red Orchestra" fame made him a target for the communists. Stripped of his job and under constant surveillance, he desperately sought a passport but was denied. The USSR, his former ally, saw him as a burden. News of his plight reached France. The activities of the committee for Trepper's release began. Author Gilles Perrault urged him to emigrate, but attempts to document his story or pressure Poland were thwarted by the secret police. French film crew faced confiscation of their film footage. Baseless accusations of espionage further complicated matters. Finally, after a hunger strike and mounting international pressure, Poland relented. Trepper left, eventually settling in Israel. His story embodies espionage, betrayal, and the unwavering will to survive.

On the 13th of December 1981, telephone connections were cut off throughout Poland. Tanks appeared in the streets of the cities. A night curfew came into force. In response to the growing influence of the Solidarity trade union movement, General Jaruzelski's government declared a state of emergency. Tomasz Wolski's edited documentary uses lesser-known archival footage to put this tense chapter of Polish history into a broader context. But it is not only the speeches of politicians and dramatic clashes between citizens and the repressive apparatus that are included in this collage, edited with a flair for the absurd – the myth of a nation that suffered under totalitarian rule is shattered by images of everyday life. Many Poles are convinced, in line with government propaganda, that the opposition could have started a civil war. Others are more concerned about empty shelves than about the lack of freedom. The ubiquitous police and soldiers become as much a part of socialist reality as the fact that a shoe shop sells chickens. Ironically, the foreign correspondent seems most concerned about the whole situation. This portrait of a divided country, whose tragicomic quality also lies in its timelessness, concludes Wolski's historical trilogy (see An Ordinary Country (2020) and 1970 (2021)).

A few months after the start of the Russian invasion, Piotr Pawlus and Tomasz Wolski (1970, VdR 2021) decide to depict the conflict from a distance. More sociological than individual, In Ukraine calmly and forcefully captures the tragedy and the bravery of people and the futility and cruelty of war, while outlining the new normality of a besieged state, in all its absurdity. 源自：

1970年。共产主义波兰的罢工工人示威反对价格上涨。随着反叛活动愈演愈烈，紧张气氛和政府的暴力镇压也愈发强烈。托马斯·沃尔斯基利用定格动画再现电话时的场景，创作出一部精确而出色的电影。