A Short Film About Killing

The events take place in a contemporary Polish city during the late 1980s. The urban pace, public spaces, and legal process reflect that era, including the death penalty featured in the narrative. The setting emphasizes the intersection of everyday life with a violent crime and its courtroom resolution.

The story unfolds in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, using its busy streets, cafés, and public spaces as the backdrop. The city’s crowded urban life contrasts with a remote edge of the city where the crime scene occurs. These locations illustrate a modern urban environment where ordinary lives intersect with violence and legal proceedings.

⚖️ Justice

The film interrogates what justice means when a murder occurs and the defendant is sentenced to death. Piotr's defense attempts to argue against capital punishment, but the judge affirms the outcome as legally correct. The narrative exposes the gap between legal formalism and personal moral judgment, leaving the audience with uneasy questions about justice.

🗡️ Violence

Violence in the film is intimate and routine, shown in the act of murder and the subsequent social response. Jacek's capacity for harm is introduced in his casual mischief before culminating in a deadly crime, underscoring how violence can erupt from place and circumstance. The execution scene also reflects how state violence is normalized within the legal system.

💔 Trauma

Trauma shapes Jacek’s actions, rooted in the death of his sister. The defense lawyer confronts the weight of this trauma as he weighs the possibility of saving a life against the evidence. The film links personal suffering to public punishment, suggesting that unchecked pain can drive people toward irreversible choices.