The final chapter in the 10 part series, and interestingly enough, a noted departure from the style utilized throughout most of the films so far. Segment 10 plays out like a Coen Brothers black comedy, with moments of true drama, moments of true suspense, but overall, a darkly comedic overtone reigns over the entire piece. Kieslowski uses one of the best little nuances I've ever seen here when at a particularly suspenseful or comedic moment, a brief drum roll suddenly comes in, specially emphasizing the absurdity of the whole situation.
Overall, a fitting final chapter to an impressive series.
3/5 Stars
Dekalog 1988/Kieslowski
Overall, the 10 part examination of the daily trials and tribulations of the Polish middle class was impressive in its scope and wide range of emotional ground covered, but while Kieslowski elicits some great performances here and there, and shows true directing innovation at times, his technical execution during the series as a whole didn't quite merit any overzealous praise. If anything, he must be respected for having the ambition and the vision to take on such a project, and noted for having done nearly the best he could given his available resources.
Everything about this series seemed good, but not great, interesting, but not ground-breaking. This format of multi-character, epic-type film definitely works better as a single piece with the stories intertwined in my opinion, as evidenced by the films of Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Altman, among others. I feel like Kieslowski could've achieved a deeper emotional impact and expressed a clearer overall message had he chosen the best few of his 10 stories, wrapped them into one film, and given it a bit more of concurrent theme.
3.5/5 Stars
But hey, on the plus side, I'm finally done! I'm feeling quite ambitious and victorious myself. You'd be surprised how difficult it can be to sit through a 10 hour long Polish TV series from the late 80's. Now I can finally start watching regular movies again.
My viewing of this film also means that I've officially completed 1/3 of TSPDT's Top 100.
