With the Polish-language drama Hope (2007), scribe and longtime Kieslowski collaborator Krzysztof Piesiewicz resurrects the tone, feel and themes of their classic Decalogue, by scripting a highly cerebral meditation on morality and ethos. Rafal Fundalej stars as Francis, a clever idealist who works in a church alongside his janitor dad. Late one night, Francis borrows his girlfriend Clare's (Kamilla Baar) video camera, to catch a dangerous art thief, Benedict (Wojciech Pszoniak) lifting an ancient tile from the building. Before long, the young man reaps the vengeance of the burglar, who blows up Francis's car as an obvious and vitriolic threat; the latter merely demands that the culprit replace the artifact and replace the vehicle. Meanwhile, a slightly oafish cop, Sopel (Zbigniew Zamachowski) learns of the goings-on and closes in on Benedict himself. Stanislaw Mucha directs.
by Nathan Southern
synopsis
