A Short Film About Love

Tomek, a nineteen year old postal clerk, lives a quiet, isolated life in a Warsaw apartment complex. He fixates on Magda and watches her every night through a telescope, observing her routine and social life from across the way. What begins as curiosity quickly hardens into a consuming obsession.

To get closer, Tomek slips fake postal notices into Magda's mailbox about a nonexistent money order. He also phones her anonymously, just to hear her voice and feel a connection from afar. These small manipulations mark the first steps of his approach.

Learning there is a problem with Magda's milk deliveries, Tomek takes a job delivering milk so he can be near her. The route puts him in her everyday world and gives him opportunities to observe and linger close by. He uses this proximity to deepen his fixation.

One night, Tomek watches Magda return home after another breakup, spill milk, and cry over her failed relationships. He follows her back to her building and confronts his own feelings for her. The moment foreshadows the danger and intensity of his devotion.

After a confrontation with the postmistress, Tomek admits to Magda that he has been leaving fake notices and that he has been watching her. Magda is unsettled but curious, unsure how to interpret his confession. Their exchange marks a turning point from voyeurism to admission.

That night, Magda and her current boyfriend are in bed when a neighbor across the way appears to be watching them. The boyfriend rushes downstairs, confronts Tomek, and punches him for spying. The incident makes the danger of Tomek's fixation painfully real.

The next day, Tomek, while delivering milk, declares his love and asks Magda out on a date. He then rushes to the roof in a burst of exhilaration before returning to Magda's apartment where she accepts the invitation. The rooftop moment signals a turning point in their relationship.

At their café date, Magda learns Tomek has watched her for a year and even stole letters from an old boyfriend. She is upset at first but minimizes the issue, suggesting the past does not matter. The revelation reframes their connection from innocence to a troubling obsession.

Back at Magda's apartment, Tomek gives her a small gift, and she reveals she does not see herself as deserving of gifts. She guides his hands to her body, and they share an intense intimate moment as she asserts that love is simply an illusion tied to sex. The moment ends with Tomek overwhelmed and embarrassed.

Overwhelmed by the emotional weight of the experience, Tomek cuts his wrists with a razor blade and is taken to the hospital. The act marks a drastic break from the life he built around Magda. Magda later fears that she has caused him pain and begins to worry about his wellbeing.

Magda visits Tomek and learns from his godmother that he has been hospitalized. The godmother shows her Tomek's room and his telescope, the object that connected their two lives across the distance. The scene hints at a fragile, unfulfilled connection rather than reconciliation.

The godmother tells Magda that Tomek has fallen in love with her, and Magda responds that she has fallen for the wrong woman. The admission crystallizes the tragedy of their misaligned desires. Both are left to ponder what love truly means.

Magda receives a late night phone call, thinking it is Tomek, and tells herself that he was right about love. The caller is actually someone with phone trouble, underscoring the distance between them. She remains haunted by the possibility of what might have been.

Days later, Magda goes to Tomek's apartment and finds him sleeping with his wrists still bandaged. The godmother blocks her from getting too close, and Magda looks through Tomek's telescope toward her own apartment, imagining his view. She smiles at the imagined connection, hinting at a bittersweet longing.

Magda gazes through the telescope and imagines Tomek in her space, reaching out to comfort her. The film ends on a note of yearning and ambiguity, suggesting that love exists more as a possibility than a fulfilled relationship. The final image lingers on the distance between them and what might have been.