Zwyczajny kraj

How was life in Poland on a daily basis during the Soviet era? This film, made with previously classified materials, shows how the secret service spied and taped every single one activity of the Polish citizens. From church attending to cruising the streets in search of some thrills, nothing escaped the brutal control system established by the Soviets in the name of… freedom. Like a spy thriller from Cold War times, this film shows how carefully the denunciation network that invited neighbours to report each other to the secret police was. There is nothing “ordinary” in this film, neither in the Poland of the Soviet occupation, but people were forced to pretend everything was normal in order to survive and save at least a façade of regular life. But make no mistake: this is not a late reminder of the horrors of the Soviet system. This is an alarm note for the horrors that keep rearing their ugly heads again while we pretend that everything is just fine. A time capsule from yesterday to prevent a new kind of fascism that might lurk just around the corner. (Visions du Réel)