A Short Film About Killing Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

A Short Film About Killing Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 28, 2019

Krzysztof Kieslowski's "A Short Film About Killing" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon/Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; vintage interviews with director of photography Slawomir Idziak, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland; and author Antonin Liehm; the short film "From a Night Porter's Point of View"; and more. In Polish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Not much changes from the shorter version of the story that is part of Dekalog, arguably Krzysztof Kieslowski’s finest work. At the end of it you are forced to ponder -- essentially under the exact same circumstances -- whether capital punishment is ever justified. In A Short Film About Killing Kieslowski only slightly exacerbates the contrasts that ought to help you form an opinion.

Initially, it seems like the camera has a difficult time choosing between a couple of different characters. Jacek (Miroslaw Baka), a young and angry drifter, visits a rundown movie theater but is told that the boring film he wanted to see has been canceled because of a meeting organized by some small-time political leaders. Visibly annoyed, he ends up in a popular cafeteria and, while having cheap coffee and a cream puff, decides to commit a murder. Not long after that the he jumps in a taxi and asks the driver to take him somewhere on the outskirts of the city.

Earlier and in a different part of the city, the taxi driver (Jan Tesarz) is seen cleaning his car in front of a giant apartment building. He also tries to flirt with a younger girl and when she ignores him leaves behind a couple that has patiently waited for him to finish drying his car. Then at a deli he plays his favorite lottery numbers and the man behind the counter nonchalantly mentions that he has been winning a lot. Soon after, he picks up the drifter.

The third character, Piotr (Krzysztof Globisz), is on a major crossroad in his life -- in a darkened room, he is questioned by a panel of law professors from a prestigious university. The young man successfully delivers all the right answers and at the end of the exam one of the professors shakes his hand with a smile. Soon after, he gets his first case, representing the drifter after he has brutally murdered the taxi driver, before a very different panel. This time, however, he fails miserably and the killer is sentenced to death.

The entire film was done with filters which create the impression that its characters are trapped in a giant fish tank with thick and very ugly green water. They move around and meet other characters but their minds have been programmed to only make them feel that they are free. In reality they are not, they have simply becomes used to their ugly and repressive social environment.

The two murder scenes are very graphic and very repulsive. However, it is important to underscore that they are lensed in the exact opposite way that murder scenes emerge in big-budget Hollywood productions -- the termination of life is mechanical and ordinary at the same time, the inevitable final phase of an inhumane act performed by human beings. It is what makes it impossible to attach any meaningful political arguments or sound logic to it, because the murders are done for entirely different reasons but are variations of the exact same hideous act. In other words, trying to uncover any legit arguments in the film in favor of or against capital punishment is not just an utterly pointless exercise but quite a hypocritical one as well. (Nevertheless, in Poland the film instigated a big public debate that eventually led to the abolition of capital punishment).

Excluding a few scenes where the idealism of the young lawyer is slightly overemphasized, the acting is pitch-perfect for a project of this nature. It is casual and occasionally even looks borderline accidental, leaving the impression that Kieslowski’s camera just happened to be at the right place and at the right time to capture a crucial for the story event.

The haunting soundtrack was created by award-winning composer Zbigniew Preisner (Three Colors Trilogy).

A Short Film About Killing Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.69:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Krzysztof Kieslowski's A Short Film About Killing arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon/Artificial Eye.

I have in my library Curzon/Artificial Eye's old R2 DVD release of A Short Film About Kipling and on my system the upgrade in quality that I saw from the Blu-ray release can only be described as dramatic. Everything looks significantly better -- delineation, depth, and even overall image stability. The color filters are also far more convincing, and in certain areas the improved nuances actually reveal previously lost details. Folks with projectors will be very pleased with the fluidity of the visuals as well. A great upgrade. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

A Short Film About Killing Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Polish LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

As it is the case with virtually all of Krzysztof Kieslowski's films the music has a very important role in A Short Film About Killing, so the improved fidelity, dynamic balance and proper pitch make a huge difference. Also, there are no traces of aging, so the upper register sound great.

A Short Film About Killing Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for A Short Film About Killing. In Polish, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min).

• Presentation of the Film by Thierry Jousse - this archival introduction was produced for MK2 in France. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Annette Insdorff - in this archival interview, critic Annette Insdorff highlights some of the key themes in A Short Film About Killing and addresses its production. In French, with optional English subtitles. (6 min).

• Interview with Slawomir Idziak - in this archival interview, director of photography Slawomir Idziak recalls his work with Krzysztof Kieslowski on A Short Film About Killing. In Polish, with imposed English subtitles. (14 min).

• Interview with Agnieszka Holland - in this archival interview, Agnieszka Holland (Europa Europa) discusses the conception of Dekalog and the success of A Short Film About Killing at the Cannes Film Festival as well as the evolution of Krzysztof Kieslowski's career. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (10 min).

• From a Night Porter's Point of View (1979) - presented here is Krzysztof Kieslowski's short film From a Night Porter's Point of View about a factory night watchman in communist Poland. In Polish, with imposed English subtitles. (17 min).

• Interview with Antonin Liehm - in this archival interview, author Antonin Liehm discusses Krzysztof Kieslowski's role as the leader of 'Cinema of Anxiety' in Poland during the communist regime and some of the key themes that defined his legacy (with an emphasis on A Short Film About Killing). In French, with imposed English subtitles. (5 min).

A Short Film About Killing Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that the upgrade in quality that this new Blu-ray release of Krzysztof Kieslowski''s A Short Film About Killing offers is big and very convincing. It really allows for an entirely new experience with the film, which is what I hoped for. All of the vintage bonus features from the R2 DVD release are retained on the Blu-ray. (If you decide to order a copy for your collection, keep in mind that A Short Film About Love is also out on Blu-ray via Curzon/Artificial Eye). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.