Kanał (DER KANAL)

In the final days of the Warsaw Uprising, a scattered unit of the Polish resistance retreats from the Germans into the city's underground sewer system. In complete darkness, surrounded by filth and confinement, a desperate struggle for survival begins in the seemingly hopeless labyrinth... Wajda's second feature film deliberately breaks with the myth of heroic sacrifice and shows war above all as gruelling. Haunting images and formal precision characterise this radical milestone in Polish post-war cinema, which deliberately positions itself against the official interpretation of history and continues to resonate today beyond its historical context.
(Florian Widegger)