It is a rare event when a movie of profound spiritual depth is praised by both people within religious traditions as well as the mainstream media and mainstream film critics. But such is the case with Krzystof Kieslowski's film The Decalogue. Kenneth Turan wrote in the LA Times: "One of the indisputably great accomplishments of modern filmaking." Watching this film, Turan wrote, is "nothing less than a privilege." Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times that the film is "memorable" and "extraordinary." The New York Times named it their #1 Film of the Year, and Entertainment Weekly honored it as their Video of the Year.
James Berardinelli writes that: "Throughout the history of film, there has been a select group of standout pictures -- movies that, for technical or artistic reasons, have made an indelible imprint on viewers. Taken as one ten-hour exploration of the human experience, Decalogue is deserving of a place in that unique cadre of films, alongside such undisputed classics as Citizen Kane, Lawrence of Arabia, Last Tango in Paris, The Godfather, Fanny and Alexander, and Schindler's List (to name a few)."
What's interesting about the Decalogue is that it is probably appreciated and known more outside of the church than within it. It is not Left-Behind-ish--that is to say, it is a deep work of art that is subtle and profound. It requires input and interaction to receive benefit and edification.
Bobby Madex--writing in the new Christian magazine Crux--writes that "When taken together, however, the segments comprise what might be the greatest movie ever made. Each episode loosely based on one of the ten commandments, the series puts American television to shame, recounting with artful intensity the tragic lives contained in a seedy Warsaw apartment complex."
The "film" is actually 10 short films, directed and co-written by legendary director Krzystof Kieslowski. The films were all shot in 1987 and shown as on Polish television. The entire series takes place in one housing complex in Warsaw. Each one-hour episode is loosely built upon one of the Ten Commandments. Kieslowski said in an interview: "The relationship between the films and the individual Commandments [is] a tentative one. The films should be influenced by the individual Commandments to the same degree that the Commandments influence our daily lives."
Kieslowski's cowriter, Krzystof Piesiewicz, explains the questions he was asking through the films: "I was not so much interested in what man had done, but why? What happens to a human being? What should we do with him? Why does a human suddenly become an animal?"
The Decalogue had an extremely limited release in North America. In 2003, however, it was put on DVD and is now available. I commend it for your consideration.
