the scar (krzysztof kieślowski, 1976)

This is the twenty-seventh film I have watched in "My Letterboxd Season Challenge 2023-24", "A 33 week long challenge where the goal each week is to watch a previously unseen feature length film from a specified category." This is the 9th annual challenge, and my fifth time participating (previous years can be found at "2019-20", "2020-21", "2021-22", and "2022-23"). Week 27 is called "Morally Anxious Week":

The Cinema of Moral Anxiety Movement was a brief period in Polish film history. Films from this movement portrayed the moral anxiety felt during the Communist regime in Poland. It was abruptly stopped by the introduction of martial law in 1981, although bans and censorship delayed the release of some films made during the period, like Blind Chance or Interrogation, until the late '80s.

This week's challenge is to watch a film from the Cinema of Moral Anxiety Movement. This list is a helpful reference.

Another example of the joys of the Challenge, which exposes you to things you would never have seen otherwise. Before this, I hadn't watched a single movie from the Cinema of Moral Anxiety Movement. Let's be honest, I never heard of the Movement. I had seen films by Krzysztof Kieślowski (this was my fifth ... I usually like them, but haven't found any to be classics). The Scar was Kieślowski's first "theatrical" feature, which means he had directed a feature for television, and had also created numerous documentaries.

The Scar has the look of a documentary, and its subject matter is realist. The Communist Party has decided to build a chemical factory. Conflict arises because the townspeople feel left out of the decision-making process, and while long-term progress seems possible, the people suffer from relocation and other problems associated with "progress". The personal angle comes with a focus on Stefan Bednarz, a former resident who is put in charge of the work. He has something of a conscience, and he has a wife who refuses to return to the town. It's all interesting in a low-key way. Once again, watching a Kieślowski film, I like it but I don't love it.