A Short Film About Love

1988 1h 27m PL

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 435

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

19-year-old Tomek whiles away his lonely life by spying on his opposite neighbour Magda through binoculars. She's an artist in her mid-thirties, and appears to have everything - not least a constant stream of men at her beck and call. But when the two finally meet, they discover that they have a lot more in common than appeared at first sight...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Grażyna Szapołowska
Magda
Olaf Lubaszenko
Tomek
Stefania Iwińska
Grandmother
Piotr Machalica
Roman
Artur Barciś
Young Man
Stanisław Gawlik
Postman
Tomasz Gradowski
Rafal Imbro
Bearded Man

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski
Writers: Krzysztof Kieślowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Languages: German, Polish, Portuguese
Countries: Poland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Polish, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, shot by Witold Adamek. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Zbigniew Preisner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ewa Smal shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Grażyna Szapołowska and Olaf Lubaszenko and Stefania Iwińska carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Krzysztof Kieślowski directs. Witold Adamek behind the camera. Zbigniew Preisner scores. Ewa Smal cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Poland. Dialogue in German, Polish, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
238 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Polish, Portuguese.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, shot by Witold Adamek. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Zbigniew Preisner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Ewa Smal shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Grażyna Szapołowska and Olaf Lubaszenko and Stefania Iwińska carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0095467 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.