Amanda: Decalogue 3

The commandment associated with the third film was “Keep the Sabbath day Holy.” The film uses Christmas, the ultimate holy day, to portray this story of betrayal and lies. Christmas is considered by many to be the most important day to be with your family, and is probably the most global, widely celebrated holiday. It has even taken on meaning apart from religious tradition, but is understood by all those who take part that it is a day to be with your loved ones. This is a time to reflect on your blessings, and to show how much you appreciate the people around you, which is often expressed in many traditions in the physical form of giving presents. But it also important to realize that this is a time of Santa Clause and his list, where the judgment of whether you were good or bad this year is come into question.
I thought this was particularly interesting to note how well Kieslowski’s intentional placement of the story on this day worked to strengthen the story on so many levels. The Many visuals of empty streets, the abandoned train station, and drunks roaming the streets alone, made it apparent that everyone was at home with their families. The image of Christmas tree falling on the car with its lights still lit was a great use of symbolism and served as a large reminder that Christmas was still going on whether or not he was choosing to celebrate it the right way.
In the story the main character is with his family when his mistress calls and the first thing he does is lie to his wife about who was on the other end of the receiver. His mistress treats him very badly, she even says she wishes he would die as he is trying to help her find her missing husband, and yet he sticks by her side. This automatically tells us that their past is very serious, and that he really does love and care about her otherwise he wouldn’t have put up with the way she treats him.
She later admits her husband is made up; she had created him in her mind, drove the car to the middle of the street, placed a fake razor in the bathroom, and called the cops and says he’s fallen at the bus stop. In her admittance to such betrayal, she actually makes his sin more apparent. They are no longer together in committing adultery; he now stands alone in that. Of course she was lying to him and knowingly was in a relationship with a married man, but we take much more pity on her because, frankly, she seems to be borderline insane.
I found the most important part of movie to be when he returns back home Christmas morning. His wife is there waiting for him and the first thing she says to him when she sees him is, “will you be gone evenings again?” This blows my mind. Her husband missed the most important night for families and loved ones, and she knows he lied to her face and spent the evening with his mistress, yet she accepts him and does not even scold him for abandoning her. In this moment he finally realizes how much his actions hurt his family, and we see a change of heart. He tells her that he will not be going out evenings anymore, and they embrace. I found this act of love to be one of the most powerful in the films we've viewed thus far, and for this reason this is one of my favorite of Kieslowski’s films.