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remains silent, he renounces her and tells her that he does not want to see her again. Immediately following this, she unsuccessfully attempts suicide. While recovering in the prison's hospital, one of her interrogators takes an interest in her recovery. She repeatedly tells him of the absurdity of the system in which he believes and he seems sympathetic to her situation. The two form a brief romantic relationship, and after a single sexual encounter, she becomes pregnant by him. Like other female inmates, she is forced to give up her child for adoption soon after she gives birth. Later, the father of the child meets with Tonia to inform her that he has secured her release. He also gives her instructions on how to reclaim their child. He then commits suicide.
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water is turned on and the room slowly floods. She is released at the last moment and told to sign the confession form again, but again refuses. Another episode sees her interrogators stage a scene where a man is supposedly executed for refusing to confess. They then confront Tonia and threaten to shoot her as well is she continues to refuse. She doesn't relent, and appears to accept death. In the commotion that follows, she realises that the man was still alive. He was an actor, and her interrogator's charade is revealed.
291:"We had an obvious example of art today, cinematic art, that cannot, in this situation, be released right away, as it was proposed here. This film is so shocking and the context is so strong, so strongly tied to the present, independent of the intentions of its creators. (...) A mass audience will react to this film unequivocally as, how shall I say, the breaking of human beings by people in Polish uniforms."
331:. Mrs. Podgórska, who spent six years in prison, including two in an isolation cell, served as my consultant on the film. (...) We had to make sure that we documented the film very well because we had to defend everything we did in front of a review board. That is why the French reaction at the Cannes festival showing, that the film was unreal, made me angry. It was remarkably factual.
282:. Production began in 1981 and was completed in 1982. Its original version contained scenes set in the modern era, wherein the protagonist's daughter attempts to uncover the truth of her mother's past, as covered in the main plot. This "contemporary theme" was considered politically dangerous by the government of Poland at the time. As such, the
254:. One evening after she performs for soldiers, she quarrels with her husband who she feels has been too friendly with her best friend. Frustrated, she accepts and invitation from two strangers to go out for a drink. The two men then proceed to intentionally get her drunk. They say they will take her home by car, but instead, she is driven to a
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319:, it was both applauded and criticised. Krystyna Janda, the film's lead actress, was awarded as best actress, but some called her performance overly dramatic and criticised the film for not being historically realistic. In reality, the film's director had taken great care in researching the imprisonment of women in
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After being released, Tonia visits the orphanage where her daughter had been living. The girl, now a toddler, does not recognise her mother. Tonia and her daughter leave the orphanage together and make their way towards her husband's home. Her daughter appears to recognise the place and rushes ahead,
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Over the course of several years, she is humiliated and bullied by prison officials with the intention of forcing her to sign false confessions. After refusing to sign a false confession which denounces a friend, she is taken to the shower block in the basement and placed in a tiny barred cell. The
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convened a co-laudation commission to debate whether the film should be released to the public, as was common procedure with controversial films at the time. The majority of the commission called the film "propagandistic" and argued that it made an overly political statement about the past which
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After continually demanding to see her husband, he is finally allowed to visit. Before seeing Tonia, he is told by the officials of the infidelities she had been forced to reveal. In their brief encounter he confronts Tonia about these infidelities and demands an explanation from her. When she
341:
In 2023, British production company Second Run, which "specialises in releasing lost gems of world cinema", announced it intended to rerelease the film with new and improved
English subtitles and 2K restoration by Poland’s WFDiF film studio. It will also feature an in-depth interview with the
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312:. The version of the film that was released had removed the contemporary timeline from the film in an effort to make it a purely historical work without references to the current political crisis.
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director in which he "discusses the film’s contextual history, its production, the controversy surrounding its release and its eventual withdrawal and banning by Polish authorities".
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208:. She refuses to cooperate with the abusive system and its officials, who are trying to force her to incriminate a former incidental lover, now an accused political prisoner.
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At the commission's suggestion, the
Minister of Culture forbade the film's release for fear of how the public would react. It was one of many "shelf-films" (Polish:
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The story was really based on the lives of two real women who lived through the
Stalinist hell: Tonia Lechmann and Wanda Podgórska, the secretary to
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Due to its criticism of the regime, the Polish communist government banned the film from public viewing for over seven years, until the
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allowed it to see the light of day. Despite the film's controversial initial reception and subsequent banning, it garnered a
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tied this criticism to the current regime. After seeing the film, one of the members of the commission commented:
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821:"Cult film 'Interrogation' which was banned during communism to get new lease of life with glossy rerelease"
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and first released in 1989. The plot follows an ordinary, apolitical woman named Tonia, played by
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calling out "father". This suggests that her husband had been raising the child in her stead.
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The film had its first theatrical release in
December 1989 in Poland and was entered into the
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copies, which director
Ryszard Bugajski secretly helped to leak to the general public.
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The film was directed by
Ryszard Bugajski and produced by the film studio
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to be arrested, imprisoned and interrogated, without being told why.
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pro-Soviet Polish regime in the early 1950s. The film was directed by
308:) which were archived and only presented to the public following the
747:"The Transformation of National Memory in Polish Post-war Cinema"
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Set in 1951, the film centres around Tonia, a cabaret singer in
602:"Movie Review - 'Interrogation': Janda's Arresting Performance"
775:"Movie Review: 'Interrogation': Janda's Arresting Performance"
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Poland that he depicted. In an interview, Janda stated that,
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1982 Polish film about false imprisonment by
Ryszard Bugajski
699:"The Interrogation interrogated: the fate of a Polish film"
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796:"Woman of Marble: An Interview with Krystyna Janda"
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760:Central and Eastern European Online Library
223:through the circulation of illegally taped
719:Szporer, Michael (1989). "Interrogation".
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234:, where Krystyna Janda won the award for
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390:as Konstanty Dziwisz (Tonia's husband)
819:Khaoula Semmoumy (7 September 2023).
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773:Benson, Sheila (26 September 1990).
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600:Benson, Sheila (26 September 1990).
452:Chicago International Film Festival
238:and the film was nominated for the
1012:Films about miscarriage of justice
1007:Films directed by Ryszard Bugajski
744:Saryusz-Wolska, Magdelena (2014).
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752:Studia Universitatis Cibiniensis
499:Ryszard Bugajski, Janusz Dymek
696:Warman, Jerzy (October 1982).
360:as Lieutenant Tadeusz Morawski
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378:as Miroslawa "Mira" Szejnert
102:Katarzyna Maciejko-Kowalczyk
1002:Films critical of communism
992:1980s Polish-language films
874:"European Film Awards 1990"
366:as Major Zawada "Kapielowy"
354:as Antonina 'Tonia' Dziwisz
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131:13 December 1989
794:Szporer, Michael (1991).
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317:1990 Cannes Film Festival
315:When it was shown at the
256:political military prison
232:1990 Cannes Film Festival
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987:Polish independent films
536:Best Supporting Actress
296:Professor Golebiowski,
372:as Communist Witkowska
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578:Anti-Soviet agitation
508:Polish Film Festival
468:European Film Awards
417:Cannes Film Festival
298:University of Warsaw
573:Stalinism in Poland
549:Special Jury Prize
388:Olgierd Łukaszewicz
310:Revolutions of 1989
284:Ministry of Culture
982:Polish drama films
847:"Ryszard Bugajski"
758:: 209 – via
722:New Orleans Review
674:on 18 January 2015
667:Festival de Cannes
496:Best Screenwriter
487:Janusz Morgenstern
280:Zespół Filmowy "X”
194:false imprisonment
116:Zespól Filmowy "X"
780:Los Angeles Times
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705:The New Criterion
607:Los Angeles Times
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370:Agnieszka Holland
329:Władysław Gomułka
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972:1982 drama films
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442:Ryszard Bugajski
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147:Running time
124:Release date
85:Janusz Gajos
81:Adam Ferency
56:Janusz Dymek
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912:(in Polish)
830:7 September
512:Best Actor
384:as Honorata
192:film about
151:118 minutes
61:Produced by
41:Directed by
967:1982 films
962:1989 films
956:Categories
916:15 January
852:Culture.pl
584:References
502:Nominated
491:Nominated
483:Best Film
478:Nominated
446:Nominated
437:Palme d'Or
306:półkowniki
240:Palme d'Or
196:under the
135:1989-12-13
108:Production
51:Written by
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402:Festival
321:Stalinist
198:Stalinist
99:Edited by
35:DVD cover
801:Cineaste
678:5 August
643:3 August
562:See also
334:—
294:—
164:Language
73:Starring
890:25 July
858:25 July
411:Result
215:of the
156:Country
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733:: 5–7.
395:Awards
190:Polish
180:Polish
167:Polish
159:Poland
729:(2).
708:: 33.
941:IMDb
918:2011
892:2010
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832:2023
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680:2009
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615:2009
555:Won
544:Won
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346:Cast
246:Plot
939:at
225:VHS
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