A superbly made and deeply moving film for which its authors – Ewa and Czesław Petelscy were awarded with the State Award of the second degree.
An outstanding, multidimensional performance by Wiesław Gołas, which has gone down in history of the Polish cinematography.
Great cinematography by Mieczysław Jahoda made in extreme conditions.
A rendition of the novel by Jan Gerhard „Łuny w Bieszczadach”, in which the writer used his own experience gained while commanding the 34th infantry regiment – the same, which the film’s character belongs to.
A tragic story of an ordinary soldier who finds himself between the two sides of a brutal conflict.
The year 1946. The war has come to an end, however, in the wild areas of Bieszczady the Polish Army still fights against UPA and WiN (Freedom and Independence) troops. An artillery sergeant Hipolit Kamień is involved in the fights. The man dreams about an ordinary life and his commanders perceive him as an insubordinate. Put in a dramatic situation Kaleń proves courageous, cunning and perseverant. He doesn’t give in even faced with the horrible cruelty of his enemies. He manages to survive the tough fights, captivity and tortures to die from his comrades’ bullets in the end.
Despite the seeming realism and raw-edge of the film, the picture of the Petelski’s serves propaganda purposes by referring to real events and showing them in a way beneficial to the communists. An example may be the character of major Antoni Żubryda, commander of the Independent Operational Battalion of the National Armed Forces, who – in the film – is portrayed as a primitive and cruel 50-year-old collaborating with UPA and who, in the reality, was a 28-year-old respected commander known for organizing self-defense troops among the local people to fight the Ukrainian nationalists.
