Touched

Production and year: Poland, 1988 Genre: Drama, Psychological Director: Wiesław Saniewski Screenplay: Wiesław Saniewski Cast: Piotr Fronczewski, Ewa Wiśniewska, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Olgierd Łukasiewicz, Joanna Trzepiecińska, Agnieszka Wegner, Ewa Błaszczyk Description: Mental health is a good subject for a film. Especially one set in the drab Warsaw of the 1980s. In "The Afflicted," we see a family suffering because Joanna (Wiśniewska), a wife and mother of two nearly adult children, is unable to function normally in society. The family fights for the sick woman, trying to keep her at home rather than in an institution. Unfortunately, each attempt to keep her at home always ends in suicide attempts. As the plot unfolds, we discover the dark sides of the main characters’ personalities. Nothing is as simple as it seemed at first glance. Joanna’s son (Zamachowski), whose girlfriend is pregnant, fears that his unborn child will exhibit psychotic tendencies. The father (Fronczewski) seeks a bit of peace in the arms of his mistress; the daughter (Trzepiecińska) can no longer tolerate her mother’s behavior. Outstanding performances. So much so that it’s hard to single anyone out. So I’ll just mention Aleksander Bardini in the role of an experienced doctor—just as in Decalogue II. And the very young Agnieszka Wagner as a nursing student. The film itself is very sad, depressing. Yet it leaves hope for a better tomorrow.