Like 'A Short Film About Killing', 'A Short Film About Love' is an expansion of an episode of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Polish anthology miniseries 'Dekalog'. This film is about love, but not the healthiest kind, more about longing, obsession.
Tomek (Olaf Lubaszenko) is obssesed with Magda (Grazynka Szapolowska). Tomak is an orphan, he is staying in the bedroom of his best friend, boarding with his mother while he is out of the country. He is 19, lonely and unskilled socially, he watches Magda through her open window across the way by telescope or bonoculars. Magda is in her mid 30's, attractive, while she has no problem obtaining male visitors she is also lonely in her way, even deeply so.
Tomek can't resist sneaking brief contacts with Magda, eventually he comes clean with her. She is upset, but also intrigued, she plays games with him and in turn starts developing her own obsession with him, just as his obsession with her is leading to increasingly self destructive behavior. It's almost empathy porn. Tragically sad, beautifully flawed, intensely human. The ending of the theatrical version is more hopeful then the televison cut, both are very though often subtlety powerful. Moving. ****
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