Akademik

(Psy, 1992)

   One of the most important Polish films of the 1990s, which became a cult film for many young viewers in Poland. Scriptwriter-director Władysław Pasikowski portrays Poland in a process of transition from one political system to another, in which all principles are shaken and everything is possible. The Polish reality of 1989-1990 in The Pigs is marked by verifications of the former members of the secret police (SB), by burned secret police files, and by open corruption. The film depicts a world in which colleagues from the former Soviet KGB, East German STASI, and Polish SB join forces to fight for control of the illegal, but lucrative, drug market. The film's protagonist, Lieutenant Franciszek (Franz) Maurer (Bogusław Linda), fights for survival when his world collapses. Pasikowski draws heavily on the formula of American police/ gangster films. The viewer encounters "American" locations (luxurious interiors, rainy streets, underground parking lots, a deserted factory), excessive violence shown in extreme slow motion, vulgar language, and tough talk in the world of rough men played by some of the most popular Polish actors, including Marek Kondrat, Janusz Gajos, and Cezary Pazura. The film also shows a degraded world with cliched female characters and celebrates Polish-style machismo. The stylish cinematography by Paweł Edelman and Michał Lorenc's music, which evokes Spaghetti Westerns and gangster classics, contribute a sense of melancholy to this male melodrama. It was voted best Polish film of 1992 by Film readers, and it received several awards at the Festival of Polish Films, including Best Director for Pasikowski, Best Actor for Linda, Best Supporting Actress for Agnieszka Jaskółka, Best Score for Lorenc, and Best Editing for Wanda Zeman and Zbigniew Niciński.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof