Interrogation

^director Ryszard Bugajski
^screenplay Ryszard Bugajski
^{director of photography} Jacek Petrycki
^music Danuta Zankowska
^with Krystyna Janda, Janusz Gajos, Adam Ferency, Agnieszka Holland, Anna Romantowska, Bożena Dykiel, Olgierd Łukaszewicz
^awards
 Jury Prize for Krystyna Janda (Best Actress) and Golden Palm nomination at the Cannes Film Festival, 1990
 European Film Award nominations for Best Film, Best Screenplay and ‘Best European Actress’ for Krystyna Janda, 1990
 Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, 1990
 FIPRESCI Prize and Best Actress prize for Krystyna Janda at the Central European Film Festival BESEF in Belgrade, 1991
 Jury Special Prize for the film, Silver Lions for Krystyna Janda (Best Actress), Janusz Gajusz (Best Actor), Anna Romantowska (Best Supporting Actress) and Audience Prize at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, 1990
 Grand Prix, Golden Grape at Lubuskie Film Summer in Łagów, 1989
 prize awarded by the Polish Association of Film Critics Club, the Don Quixote, 1989
 Golden Duck (Złota Kaczka), ‘Film’ magazine Readers Award, 1990

[DIALOGUE FROM THE FILM]

Prisoner: You can’t get out of here not having committed an offence. It just won’t work. Tosia: It will with me because I’m here by mistake. They simply took me for someone else and they will realize that. Prisoner: The state never makes mistakes. My advice is: own up to everything before it’s too late. Otherwise they may kill you. Tosia: But I have nothing to own up to. Prisoner: Then you must quickly think up an offence.

CEZARY WIŚNIEWSKI, ‘INTERROGATION’ [PRZESŁUCHANIE], ‘SZTANDAR MŁODYCH’, 1989, NO. 251

The reason why this outstanding film ended up on the highest shelf are obvious: it tells about the most disgraceful and murderous practice of terror, which many would still wish to conceal. Hence the fierce objection of film judges in 1982 and their persistent opposition until just before the release. (…) The plot revolves around the instinctive and then conscious resistance of Tonia which transforms her into a new person. This is a great universal theme in art: the moral victory of a defenceless victim. (…) The main strand of the drama has been superbly drawn by the excellent creation of Krystyna Janda.