Solidarity.

This is a simple yet powerful film about an evening with a group of friends in Communist Poland under martial law during the period of the anti-communist Solidarity movement. A short, intimate film, it explores the meaning of friendship, love, trust and betrayal among a group of college friends celebrating a bitter-sweet 10-year wedding anniversary.

The film seems particularly pertinent as a metaphor for today's political climate in the U.S., where questions about trusting one's neighbors, free speech, political dissent and government intrusion on privacy are top of mind in our country as well. The deliberate ambiguity at the film's conclusion is a satisfying comment on reality in an age where mainstream films are expected to have neat, happy endings.

Well acted, nicely shot, beautifully edited.

This short film was just posted on IMDb for viewing in the US, though hopefully it will be available in other countries for online viewing in the near future.

Although the film is set in Poland in 1982, the characters speak English. This is during the government crackdown on Solidarity and the Democratic movement, so the characters are not surprisingly on edge. After all, you never knew when the secret police would strike or even who was a member...perhaps even your neighbors or friends were in league with the repressive government.

This all comes to a head during an anniversary party. Times are tough and the food is meager, but a group of old friends still meets to celebrate life. However, when something unexpectedly happens, the group is not surprisingly thrown in chaos.

I applaud this film first for remembering these days under totalitarian Soviet domination. Despite only being a little over two decades ago, many have forgotten the struggle for freedom in Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe, so the film is a nice reminder of how things were. Additionally, the plot is very interesting--though perhaps not as much to people wanting explosions or action. Intellectually stimulating and well made--this film is a winner.