Love Stories

In the opening sequence, the four protagonists arrive at the same building in different vehicles. The professor comes by his own car, the priest travels by taxi, the army officer arrives in a government vehicle, and the prisoner is driven in a police van. They move about the building as the credits roll, establishing a shared space for their stories. This setup foreshadows future intersections despite their separate paths.

While collecting the written exams, the professor is startled to see Ewa Bielska's paper marked with the line 'I love you.' He wrestles with the boundary between professional duty and personal temptation. He initially resists Ewa's advances, but ultimately yields to her insistence and involvement. The moment foreshadows complications in their later interactions.

For the crucial oral exam, Ewa asks for the professor's help because she knows nothing. The professor tries to guide her, risking exposure of their private relationship. The dean jokes that this is Poland, not America, implying different standards, and Ewa ultimately resigns. The sequence ends the improvised arrangement between student and teacher.

In the confessional, a young girl arrives claiming to be the priest's daughter, naming a mother he knows from Radom. Her story checks out, and she explains that her mother died six years ago. The girl then returns to the orphanage she escaped from, leaving those in the parish unsettled by the revelation. The incident unsettles the priest and the community alike.

Despite the parish's pleas for him to stay, the priest decides to quit the church in order to be a father to the girl. The community grapples with the conflict between vocation and family ties, highlighting the personal cost of the revelation. His decision marks a turning point in his life beyond the church.

Colonel Matałowski returns to a house with everything locked away, symbolizing a strained marriage and control. He is estranged from his wife, and an old love, Tamara, arrives to rekindle something. They drink and reminisce about their past letters while his superiors disapprove because she is Russian. He sees her one last time as he drives her to the train station.

Zdzisław Filip is convicted of trafficking Pakistani heroin and sentenced to five years in prison and a 5,000 zloty fine. Four years later, during a conjugal visit, he taps his wife’s back to reveal directions to buried cash. The moment plants the seed for a life-changing plan outside prison walls.

During the conjugal visit, Kryska discovers the buried cash and contemplates using it to escape rather than paying the fine. She decides to leave the country, a plan that shocks Zdzisław and upends their expectations. The moral stakes in their relationship intensify as control shifts.

Unable to pay the 5,000 zloty fine, Zdzisław must spend an additional two years behind bars. The financial burden compounds his imprisonment and strain on his family, while Kryska’s escape plan unfolds elsewhere. The lengthened sentence deepens the tragedy of their situation.

At a later point in the film, all four characters unexpectedly glimpse a man inside the archives, a figure whose presence connects their parallel stories. The recurring encounter emphasizes themes of memory, fate, and the hidden links between seemingly unrelated lives. The moment acts as a shared motif threading their paths together.

In a quiet parallel beat, the professor and the colonel take an elevator down and find themselves alone in a long corridor. The scene juxtaposes their already divergent lives and hints at a possible, tense relationship between those two characters. The moment underscores the film's focus on shared space and unopened doors.