Back in the early 1980’s, Polish writer/director Krzysztof Kieslowski made a film titled Blind Chance, which scrutinized the concepts of luck, predetermination, and how one minuscule happening (through blind chance) can change your life in wholly different ways.
Filmed at the heart of the Solidarity Movement in Poland (a time when people rose up against the Communist government in the form of a trade union first led by Lech Walêsa – which led to greater freedom for a few years), Kieslowski provides us with three alternate possibilities in the life of one Witek Dlugosz (Boguslaw Linda) as he hurries to catch a train to Warsaw. It is of importance to note that the role of the totalitarian regime in which Witek lives under plays a vital role in the thoughtful tale.
It is not the easiest motion picture to settle in to, as it feels as though we are watching alternate streams of consciousness from our protagonist. It begins with him screaming, which is then followed by a number of disorienting scenes, including a bleeding person being dragged along a hospital floor, a boy being taught how to write, a medical student cutting open a cadaver, as well as several other things. What is clear is that the man is in pain after the recent passing of his father. So much so, that he has taken a leave of absence from university where he is being trained to become a doctor. Each of the three alternate perspectives begin with the man rushing to catch a train for the Polish capital.
In the first scenario, Witek nearly collides with a man who has found a coin on the ground – he has used it to purchase a beer. He sprints for the moving train, barely grabbing hold of the final pole that allows him to hoist up through the last door. While on board, he meets an elderly Communist named Werner (Tadeusz Lomnicki), which spurs our protagonist into becoming a member of the party. By chance, he meets his first love Czuszka (Boguslawa Pawelec), a woman who is a fervent anti-Communist, after several long years. Though the two end up making love and fall for each other once again, they are clearly at odds due to their political outlooks. Witek, who in each of his three different incarnations can be seen as an honest, noble and good man, works hard to succeed in his job. He breaks up an escalating protest at a hospital, which leads to him being given the opportunity of going to Paris for party business. Before his departure, Czuszka is picked up by officers as the couple meander through the city, as she is under their watchful eye – though Witek, a Communist party member, is allowed to continue on without hassle. This causes a major rift between the two and the lady will not accept her beau back, even when he comes to her door as she hosts an anti-Communist meeting. As Witek awaits for his departure for France, he is informed that he will need to stay in Poland to help with further protests that are popping up throughout the country.
The second iteration sees Witek hammer into the man buying the beer (not apologizing for the action), which forces him to spill all of his ale. The hurried man then misses the train, bumping into a policeman which leads to a minor tussle – putting him in front of a judge who sentences him to community service. While doing his time, he meets a man who steers him towards an anti-Communist group. He attends a meeting where he meets childhood friend Daniel (Jacek Sas-Uhrynowski) – we recall seeing this friend being taken away from him in one of the early streams of consciousness. The friend, who has just returned from Denmark, is there with his sister Werka (Marzena Trybala), and the two have an instant connection. She continuously returns to spend time with Witek, and the two become close, despite the fact that she is already married. Witek helps run an underground printing press, where the team then distributes banned material.
On one particular day, he makes a delivery to a woman – whose place has just been ransacked by hoodlums who suspect she is anti-Communist. Witek gets into a deep conversation with her and she claims God has given her nine more years of life (in spite of the fact that doctors told her that she would be dead in three short years). This sparks something in the man and he gets baptised by a priest who helps run the dissident organization.
Witek tries to get a passport to go to France to continue his work, yet the government will not give him one. . . that is, unless he rats on the people he meets in Paris. The good man cannot stomach the idea and returns home. As he finally begins to become intimate with Werka, a fellow member of the group promptly summons him to the print shop. It has been destroyed and those working there have been arrested, leaving Witek as the suspected traitor.
In the third (and likely real) version, Witek bumps into the beer drinking man, though apologizes, and does not spill his beer. He misses the train but does not get into a confrontation with the officer. At the station, he meets Olga (Monika Gozdzik), a lady he dated during his time at medical school. The two former lovers once again click and fall madly in love. This spurs the man to return to the university, where he asks the Dean of Medicine (Zygmunt Hübner) for reentry into the program. He flourishes, graduating while also being offered a special position at the institute for higher learning.
Witek takes the middle ground, deciding to reject offers to join the Communist party or sign petitions against it. He marries his beloved Olga, and they have a child. Of the three options, it is this one that shows him in the most fulfilled state. He has a thriving practice, cares for his patients, has a beautiful family, has a father-figure in the Dean and is not embroiled in politics on either side of the argument. The Dean, under scrutiny as his son is part of the group Witek was involved with in scenario two, asks his protege to take a trip to Libya to be a keynote speaker at a conference instead of him. As he departs for the airport, he is told by his wife that she is expecting their second child. This time, the man is able to board the plane, unlike the other two scenarios.
Blind Chance is an intriguing, philosophical and metaphysical journey that is extremely thought provoking. Kieslowski interestingly never changes our lead’s attitude, only the variables around him. He is always a good natured, kind and honest man who has been pained by the loss of his dad. In each instance, he picks a father-figure to look up to (the elderly communist, the priest and the Dean), yet it is only the Dean that truly cares for him and nurtures him towards a happy future.
There are also several interesting crossovers found within each of the three segments. More information is provided for keen viewers, such as a man who is on an anti-Communist watch list (we are given more information in the second take) or how we see the repercussions of the Dean’s son being a player against the government (though we know he is the Dean’s son in the second stream, we see how it is affecting his father’s job in the third). There are also moments in the third where Witek sees important players from the other two possibilities (such as the priest at the airport); whether or not he has a moment of deja vu is up to us to decide.
Then there is the challenging opening. It is a bit frustrating to watch, but once you’ve seen the movie you can understand how each moment we are shown at the film’s introduction is important to the story (making one appreciate the complex entry).
Kieslowski’s Blind Chance is a contemplative piece of art that is hard to ignore. Though some may be baffled by the complex piece, it is surely a film that, if given a chance, will make you ponder your life and how chance plays a definite role in it. It is centred by a strong performance by Boguslaw Linda, who does a wonderful job creating a realistic person that feels utterly authentic. By the time Kieslowski had finished his film, the Solidarity Movement had been quashed by martial law and his motion picture sat shelved by the film board until 1987 (when it was finally released, though in a highly censored form). Thankfully, today it can be seen in its original format (Criterion has put together a nice collection on Blu-ray), highlighting the issues of what it is like to live under a totalitarian regime. So see this one in all of its glory; thankfully, Communism wasn’t allowed to leave this one crash and burn.