- Duration:
55’
- Genre:
DRAMA
- Resolution: SD
- Year: 1997
A young tenor Adam Łaszcz is a winner of a singing competition. He comes to
Warsaw from Białystok, hoping to begin a career there. He has a wife and a
preschool daughter. He moonlights as a teacher at schools and gives concerts in
the province but he dreams about a role in a national opera. While waiting for
his lifetime opportunity, he lives with his family in a cramped rented flat and
commutes to work by his old Maluch car. What is more, every day he fights for a
parking place on the parking lot with the operator of the excavator who does
not let him park where he wants. Unexpectedly he receives a proposal of
performing in a televised New Year's Eve concert at the National Philharmonic
as a substitute for a sick colleague. Since he is great on the rehearsals and
praised by the director, his colleagues slowly overcome the initial reluctance
towards the young provincial. As Adam hopes for the best, he practices at home
every day and he is careful not to get any hoarseness, which would affect his
voice. The evening before the concert, his neighbour, who is an elderly lady,
knocks on his door. Her beloved dog gets sick and she cannot help him. She
wants to take the dog to the vet but she does not even know where to go. Adam
finds the right address in the newspaper and advises the lady to take a taxi.
However, the taxi driver refuses to allow the dog in the car and the lady shows
up again. Despite the fact that Adam would prefer not to go out to the rain and
wind because he fears about his voice, he cannot refuse to assist the lady.
After a few hours, he returns home soaking wet. The next day, instead of a
crystal voice, a screeching voice comes out from his mouth. Adam is horrified
because home remedies do not help and the evening concert is coming inexorably.
Krzysztof Zanussi is considered to be one of the greatest Polish film
directors. His movies are always unique, original and above all filled with
shrewd observation and reflection. The director focuses on morality, psychology
and human inner lives. As an acknowledged filmmaker he performs multiple
functions: works as a lecturer in Łódź Film School and National Film School in
Great Britain, he is also a member of the Cinematography Committee and Felix
Awards Committee, prepares theatrical performances and has written a few books
on filmmaking. His Weekend Stories are works about individuals facing
moral dilemmas. A binding feature of the eight stories is their duration of one
weekend. The series includes the following titles: A Woman’s Business, Deceptive
Charm, Little Faith, The Dilatory Line, The Soul Sings, Unwritten
Laws, The Last Circle, Hidden Treasures.
