Akademik

(aka Clear through, Na wylot, 1973)

   Through and Through is among the most original Polish films. It is almost unanimously praised by Polish critics, neglected by local audiences, and virtually unknown outside Poland. Its director and scriptwriter, Grzegorz Królikiewicz, based his provocative documentary-like Through and Through on a well-publicized murder case in pre-1939 Poland. The Malisz couple, unemployed, alienated from society, and desperate to change their miserable conditions, murdered a postman and the elderly couple who witnessed their deed. Królikiewicz shows the ugliness and despair of the characters, played by Franciszek Trzeciak and Anna Nieborowska, and the revolting reality that surrounds them; he is not afraid to portray the repulsive physicality of the murder, an animal-like attack that shocks the unprepared viewer. Atypical camera movement (cinematography by Bog-dan Dziworski), bizarre angles, merciless close-ups that disfigure the protagonists, images that are difficult to decipher, and bizarre sound effects help intensify the emotional aspect of the film. Krolikiewicz's critical works, especially his examination of the off-screen space, are reflected in the techniques used in Through and Through: rudimentary dialogues, experimental soundtrack, unusual camera angles, and an uncommon composition of frame. For example, in the murder scene the viewer sees one of the images upside down, with the victim's blood flowing from the bottom to the top of the screen.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof