The Devil

In 1793 the Prussian army enters Poland and a young man, Jakub, is taken out of a monastery prison by a stranger whose identity is never fixed. The rescuer gives him a knife and, on the road home, whispers a truth about everyone they meet. As the journey continues Jakub kills everyone he knows, beginning with his family. Andrzej Żuławski builds it like a historical costume drama and installs something else entirely inside: how occupation accelerates moral collapse and how those who resist are put to use. The Polish authorities read it as a reference to the events of 1968 and banned it; it went unseen for roughly sixteen years and Żuławski left for France. The performances are held at a hysterical pitch throughout. Who it is for: viewers who like Polish cinema and formal violence taken to extremes. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a calm period drama.