International title:
Decalogue VIII - Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
di
Krzysztof Kieslowski (Pol, 1988, 55') v.it. mer 9 h 17,50
Zofia, an elderly lecturer in moral philosophy at Warsaw University, is highly appreciated by her pupils for her warm humanity. Her lessons are attended also by many overseas students. Elzbieta, a young American woman of Polish origins recounts a case of conscience: during the Nazi
occupation of Poland in 1943, a Catholic couple who had pledged to help a six year old Jewish by having her baptized and thus avoiding deportation, went back on their promise and refused to carry out the act. During the story Elzbieta fixes her gaze on Zofia, who suddenly realises that Elzbieta is herself the Jewish child she had refused to help. Zofia is delighted to see her alive after having been tormented by guilt for so long. She seeks forgiveness from the young woman, explaining to Elzbieta why it was necessary for her to act in such a way.
