Debt

^director Krzysztof Krauze
^screenplay Krzysztof Krauze, Jerzy Morawski
^{director of photography} Bartosz Prokopowicz
^music Michał Urbaniak
^with Robert Gonera, Jacek Borcuch, Andrzej Chyra, Cezary Kosiński, Joanna Szurmiej, Agnieszka Warchulska
^{awards (selection)}   Eagle, Polish Film Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Robert Gonera), Best Supporting Actor (Andrzej Chyra), 2000
 Best Director at Philadelphia Film Festival, 2001
 Grand Prix, Golden Lions for Best Film, Music, Best Actor (Andrzej Chyra), Journalists Prize at the 24th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, 1999
 Juliusz Burski Prize at Lubuskie Film Summer in Łagów, 2000
 award for music at the National Film Art Festival ‘Provinciality’ in Września, 2000
 Grand Prix, award for best actor for Robert Gonera and Andrzej Chyra for debut actor and commendation for cinematography at the New Polish Cinema Festival in Wrocław, 1999
 Tarnowska Film Award: Special Prize, Silver Statue of Leliwita for Krzysztof Krauze and Jerzy Morawski, Young People Jury Prize and Audience Prize, Maszkaron, 2000
 Warsaw Mermaid (Syrenka Warszawska), Film Critics Club SDP Award, 2000
 Golden Film (Złota Taśma) award of the Writers Association SFP, 2000

[DIALOGUE FROM THE FILM]

Gerard: The money! Matczak’s Wife: Jesus, Kubuś, help! Gerard (to Executor): Loosen it. Or you’ll strangle him. Adam: Stop it! Gerard: I didn’t get the money. Stefan: He said: I’ll give it all back. Gerard: He had one hundred dollars. The cash tomorrow. For every day of delay a thousand dollars extra. And you’re reporting daily by phone. Adam (to Stefan): Let’s go to the police. Stefan: And what will you tell them? Adam: That they’re blackmailing us. Stefan: Have you got any evidence?

TADEUSZ LUBELSKI, ‘DEBT’, ‘PAN TADEUSZ’: TWO INVOCATIONS [IN:] HISTORY OF THE POLISH CINEMA, ED. BYT. LUBELSKI, K. J. ZARĘBSKI [‘DŁUG’, ‘PAN TADEUSZ’: DWIE INWOKACJE, [W:] HISTORIA KINA POLSKIEGO], WARSZAWA 2006

The prototypes of Adam and Stefan, two young and ambitious businessmen who murdered their oppressors in March 1994 and on the film’s opening night were serving their 25-year sentences, have become equally well-known as the heroes of ‘Debt’ modeled on them (…). Krzysztof Krauze’s film does not encourage us to compare its narrative with the history of the prototypes but rather with our own conscience. ‘Debt’ forces us (…) – while being as anxious for the hero as for ourselves – to show solidarity with his crime, but then it tells us to step back and ask whether in fact we would be capable of going that far.