Persona non grata

Krzysztof Zanussi
Poland, null, Russia 2005 / 110’

A tragedy set in the world of diplomacy, with Zbigniew Zapasiewicz cast as an intellectualist disappointed with the freedom he has fought for. The title persona non grata is Wiktor, a former anti-communist activist, now the Polish ambassador in Uruguay. In the past he was an idealist, now he is lost in a world where there is hardly anyone one can trust. His obsessive suspicions of dishonesty or even treason concern not only his work, but his personal life, too, not only the present time, but past as well. And the history goes on, the political regime was successfully changed, Wiktor's beloved wife is dead, the past becomes blurred and equivocal.

An important issue in the film is death - this time not of the character himself, but someone else's death. How to cope with the sudden loss of your loved one? Persona non grata is a story about how difficult it is to accept the loss of the loved one, about quest for internal harmony despite dissonances from the outside.

Wiktor's personal drama is intertwined with a sensational plot with spies, smugglers and exotic scenery (some scenes were shot in Uruguay).

Mirella Napolska

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Credits

director: Krzysztof Zanussi
screenplay: Krzysztof Zanussi
cinematography: Adam Bajerski
editing: Wanda Zeman
music: Wojciech Kilar
cast: Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Nikita Michałkow, Jerzy Stuhr, Daniel Olbrychski, Maria Bekker, Andrzej Chyra
producer: Iwona Ziułkowska-Okapiec, Leonid Wereszczagin, Krzysztof Zanussi, Nikita Michałkow, Rosanna Seregni
production: Studio Filmowe Tor, Three T Productions, Sintra
awards: FPFF Gdańsk 2005 - najlepszy film, nagroda jury, najlepsza drugoplanowa rola męska, najlepsza muzyka, najlepszy dźwięk, najlepszy montaż / Best Film, Jury Prize, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Score, Best Sound, Best Editing, FFP Nowy Jork 2007 - nagroda im. Krzysztofa Kieślowskiego / Krzysztof Kieślowski Award