Acclaimed director Krzysztof Kieslowski presents this sociopolitical drama about life in modern Poland. The story follows Witek (Boguslaw Linda), whose life is played out in three different variations after an insignificant train encounter. In the first version, Witek catches the train, meets a sincere communist, and becomes a party activist. In the second, he bumps into a guard while trying to catch the train. He is arrested, stands trial, and is sent to an unpaid labor park where he encounters an individual from the opposition and becomes a militant member of their group. In the final strand, he misses the train, meets a fellow student, falls in love, and settles into a calm life as a doctor who wants nothing to do with politics. Kieslowski uses his seemingly fantastic plot device to make his point even more dramatically, showing how thin the line is between each of these characters and their lives. At the same time, he condemns politics by humanizing them and keeping them closely related. A powerful reflection of a country in transition, Kieslowski’s BLIND CHANCE is a moving work that enlightens while it entertains.
