

In 1945, as Stalin sets his hands over Poland, famous painter Wladislaw Strzeminski refuses to compromise on his art with the doctrines of social realism. Persecuted, expelled from his chair at the University, he's eventually erased from the museums' walls. With the help of some of his students, he starts fighting against the Party and becomes the symbol of an artistic resistance against intellectual tyranny.
Acting
Bogusław Linda's trembling fury as Strzemiński.
Direction
Wajda's final film—a vengeful master's goodbye.
Cinematography
Compositions that honor Strzemiński's unism theory.

Director
Andrzej Wajda
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Andrzej Wajda died months after completing this; he was 90 and had fought Soviet censorship his entire career.
Strzemiński's actual 'unism' canvases were hidden in Lodz for decades; this film helped restore him to Polish museums.