Avant la Bataille on AllMovie

In this historical documentary by director and writer Janusz Kijowski, the Jewish actor Simon Zaleski returns to his native Poland in October-November, 1981 to find out if the repression and anti-Semitism he experienced in the spring of 1968 has changed. After the 1968 demonstrations, leading figures in the Polish film industry were removed or demoted, and many Jewish directors, actors, and other associated with the industry permanently left the country. Zaleski holds interviews with Solidarity officials (Lech Walesa and others), workers, farmers, and people on the street. He attends services at churches and synagogues -- and although the overall impression was one of optimism for the future, there were still several people who advised him to stay in exile in Belgium.