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Dekalog V (1989)


The theatrical version, A Short Film about Killing (1989) is about 24 minutes longer than this version. Interestingly, all additional 24 minutes take place before Jacek murders the Taxi Driver. This made me wonder: Why did Kieslowski add all the additional content to the front end of the film? The last 25 minutes of each version is basically the same. What could have been added to that section?

And that got me thinking about all of the stuff that was left out or not fully explained in this version (as well as, for the most part, the other version). For example, only Piotr (Krzysztof Globisz) visits Jacek in prison. None of Jacek's family -- his brothers and mother -- visit him as he waits for his death sentence to be carried out. 

We also learn about a few things by dialogue only. For example, Piotr mentions than he was in the same coffeehouse right before Jacek committed the murder. In the extended version, we actually get to see them in the coffeeshop at the same time.  Piotr regrets that he hadn't stepped in to help Jacek that day, although to be fair, he didn't even know Jacek at that point. Piotr wanted to be a lawyer so that he could help people that he otherwise would never run into in real life. But after the trial, he realizes that by the time he "meets" people like Jacek as clients, it's actually too late to help, really. 

The extended version also allows us to see Piotr's girlfriend/wife. I would also point out that the extended version humanizes Jacek a little bit more by letting us see him interact with the Taxi Stand Girl. Right after the murder, he drives the taxi back to the Taxi Stand, and he invites her to go for a drive. They seem to know each other, and they enjoy a moment together before Jacek is captured for his crime. 

The version, especially, doesn't show us a lot. The visuals are reserved for the two killings. Each is given about 5 minutes of film time, and they are slowly, methodically depicted. It made me wish that other moments in the film would have been shown, but perhaps Kieslowski didn't want to divert our attention from the film's centerpieces -- the killings. Nevertheless, when Jacek tells Piotr about his sister, it made me wish for a flashback to his childhood. Like Piotr, Jacek finds himself wishing he could go back in time and save his sister, because then everything in his life after that moment might have been quite different.  I would have preferred to "see" his memory rather than just see the two sitting together in his cell.

Likewise, I didn't like that Piotr's girlfriend/wife is completely cut from this version. It might have been nice to see Piotr and her interact more, as a counter to Jacek and his attempts to talk to young women.

One other scene cut from this version: A group of English-speaking tourists ask Jacek for directions, but he doesn't speak English and can't understand them. The scene isn't that important, but what stands out to me is how directionless Jacek is, and the irony that anyone would stop to ask him for directions. Just seemed like the irony of the scene would make it worth keeping, but I'm glad it was added to the extended version. 

Rating 4.5/5 stars

 

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