Late Polish director Kieslowski’s widely acclaimed 10-part series (which originally aired in 10 separate hourlong segments on Polish television and was co-written with Kieslowski’s longtime collaborator Krzystof Piesiewicz) receives a long-overdue showing on the big screen. Each program is based on one of the Ten Commandments and uses a contemporary and interrelated tale to explore moral issues and questions of human existence. The Alamo Drafthouse will run two consecutive episodes every Saturday through March 3 at 4:30pm. For more information, see austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2001-02-02/screens_feature.html. Part 5: “Thou shalt not kill” focuses on a lawyer grappling with his client’s random act of murder and his consequent death sentence. Part 6: “Thou shalt not commit adultery” deals with a postal worker who becomes obsessed with a promiscuous neighbor, then attempts suicide when she reveals her motivations to be physical pleasure and not love.
This article appears in February 9 • 2001.
