BLIND CHANCE

BLIND CHANCE (PRZYPADEK),1981- 1987

Poland, Blu-ray, Color, 118’, Polish

Cast: Boguslaw Linda, Tadeusz Lomnicki, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz

Three separate storylines told in succession about a young man called Witek. In each story, the protagonist buys a train ticket and runs after the train. In the first scenario he gets on the train, meets an idealist communist, and ends up working for the Party. In the second scenario, he gets into a fight on the platform, is arrested, brought before court, and becomes an opposition activist. In the third scenario, he fails to catch the train, meets a woman in the station, falls in love, and goes on to lead a normal life. These three paths reflect the Polish reality at the time, and question the relationship between chance and necessity. Heralding the Three Colors trilogy, Blind Chance is also considered as the source of inspiration for the 1998 film Sliding Doors.