12
Oct

CLOSED Circuit


Information

Directed by: Ryszard Bugajski
Country/Year: Poland 2013
Duration: 100’

The story of three businessmen who are accused of organized crime by corrupt government officials. The director shows how relative the notion of justice is; he observes the activities which are within the law but morally equivocal. His characters face difficult choices, the leading roles are reserved for the villains. All the gestures, venues, which define social status of the people are of crucial importance to the film because they help to reveal what really motivates the characters. The atmosphere in this political thriller is getting more and more tense leading to the unexpected climax. The film was based on a true story of businessmen who were fighting against the inhuman system and dealing with the charges brought by the prosecutor and Tax Office. They were all arrested and their prosperous company went bankrupt. The proceedings were discontinued due to no features of a criminal offence. However, the equitable remedies they received were only symbolic.

About the director:

Ryszard Bugajski (1943) owes his first professional touches to Daniel Szczechura, Polish animator and Krzysztof Zanussi, director, to whom he was an assistant. Since 1976 he belonged to X Film Studio run by Andrzej Wajda. His first films „Didactical classes” and “Woman and woman” were the analysis of current social and political problems and fitted into the stream of Polish cinema of moral consent. In 1982 he made his most famous film „Interrogation” which was the direct reason of closing down the X Film Studio. Due to the coincidence in time with the current events and introducing martial law in Poland, the film could not be released until 1989, and the director decided to emigrate to pursuit his career. After he came back to Poland, he continued making films which were a commentary on the reality. The action of the first one, “Players”, was set in 1990 during the Lech Walesa election campaign. The director is considered to be a political film expert specializing in the complicated events from the times of post-war Poland.
Most important films:
• 1976 „Barrier”
• 1982 „Interrogation”
• 1995 „Players”
• 2009 „General Nil”
• 2013 „Closed Loop”
• 2016 „Cataract”