This one I'm going to have to say was the weakest of all the Decalogue. Although much of the Decalogue deals with overall Universal ethical constructs beyond just the commandment itself, this one seemed, to me, to have the least tie-in with the Ten Commandments and also the most banal premise.
I think Kieslowski himself understood this as in a later Decalogue he makes fun of it and presents a much stronger and more impactive dramatic moral tension. However, perhaps because this was one of the earlier attempts, this one seems much less complete and more about feeling the way around the strange personal Universe Kieslowski is creating. It's interesting to note, then, that the same wide-angle lens used in this episode as the other ones seems to alienate the characters from their surroundings rather than impersonate the layers of drama in their faces. Honestly everything about this episode seems a little skewed, a little off, and it's a shame that it comes so early on as it makes one somewhat worried about spending the next eight hours necessary to watch the rest of the Decalogue.
You should, if you doubt. Many of the later Decalogues are keep getting better and better and all of them are better than this one, which is still pretty good on its own.
--PolarisDiB
I think Kieslowski himself understood this as in a later Decalogue he makes fun of it and presents a much stronger and more impactive dramatic moral tension. However, perhaps because this was one of the earlier attempts, this one seems much less complete and more about feeling the way around the strange personal Universe Kieslowski is creating. It's interesting to note, then, that the same wide-angle lens used in this episode as the other ones seems to alienate the characters from their surroundings rather than impersonate the layers of drama in their faces. Honestly everything about this episode seems a little skewed, a little off, and it's a shame that it comes so early on as it makes one somewhat worried about spending the next eight hours necessary to watch the rest of the Decalogue.
You should, if you doubt. Many of the later Decalogues are keep getting better and better and all of them are better than this one, which is still pretty good on its own.
--PolarisDiB