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A fraud, a dead man's novel, and the revolution waiting to expose it all.
TMDB
53

Lesser Evil (2009)

morally bankrupt protagonistPolish bureaucratic hellscapeliterary theft as career move

Overview

DramaHistory

There is a writer who in the late 1970s managed to publish a poem in the monthly "Nowy Wyraz". It was enough to become a self-confessed writer whose name began to appear in the state media. The writer takes full advantage of his privileges - he flirts with power, sympathizes with the opposition, and collapses his studies at the same time. He is saved from going to the army by an exalted essayist whose sister is the head of the psychiatric hospital in Tworki. In a psychiatric institution, a writer meets a schizophrenic who writes a novel. After his suicide, the protagonist takes over the draft, which he publishes outside of censorship under his name, thanks to which he gains fame, fame and money. August '80 breaks out....

Flag of PLPLPolish
Content warning
artistic integrity vs survivalcomplicity under authoritarianismidentity constructed through theft

Standout Aspects

Acting

Żurek's smug desperation is perfectly punchable

Production

Tworki psychiatric hospital: suffocating real location

Best for:Solo: When you want to feel bad about ambition·Rewatch: Catching every cringe of complicity
Heads up:Emotional: Suicide of schizophrenic character, treated as plot device
Janusz Morgenstern

Director

Janusz Morgenstern

ReleasedOct 23, 2009
Runtime1h 50m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonedark
Feelheavy
Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych
Studio Filmowe Perspektywa

Top Cast

Lesław Żurek

Lesław Żurek

Kamil Nowak

Anna Romantowska

Anna Romantowska

matka Kamila

Janusz Gajos

Janusz Gajos

Mieczysław Nowak, ojciec Kamila

Wojciech Pszoniak

Wojciech Pszoniak

pacjent

Magdalena Cielecka

Magdalena Cielecka

aktorka

Tamara Arciuch

Tamara Arciuch

lekarka

Borys Szyc

Borys Szyc

Mareczek Kolenda

Edyta Olszówka

Edyta Olszówka

eseistka, siostra lekarki

Julia Kamińska

Julia Kamińska

poetka

Sylwia Oksiuta

Sylwia Oksiuta

studentka

Olaf Lubaszenko

Olaf Lubaszenko

esbek

Sławomir Orzechowski

Sławomir Orzechowski

sekretarz POP w ZLP

Wojciech Mecwaldowski

Wojciech Mecwaldowski

Andrzej, korespondent prasy szwedzkiej

Liliana Komorowska

Liliana Komorowska

redaktorka z Polskiego Radia

Ask about Lesser Evil

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

The title references Polish debates about 'choosing the lesser evil' under communism—collaboration as pragmatic necessity.

Trivia

Director Morgenstern, a Polish New Wave veteran, shot guerrilla-style in actual Tworki hospital without full permits.

Gallery

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