amy- Decalogue #7

Two unscrupulous people meeting can never be a good thing. This is how I view the “Thou shalt not steal” episode of The Decalogue. Every time I watch a Kieslowski film, I am amazed at the different ways that the characters are able to completely muck up their lives. This is not surprising, because we all manage to make our lives complex and difficult by our faults. I am struck by how Kieslowski foreshadows from the beginning which of the characters ends up being hurt. The little girl in the film is plagued by nightmares of wolves. In the end, the viewer uses her face as a reflection of her heart breaking as her mother is taken away on the train. The fact of the matter is, despite the adults’ best efforts, none were willing to sacrifice for the little girl’s fate. The grandmother was selfish and wanted the little girl for herself, the mother had a confused conflict between desiring revenge and motherhood, the grandfather was apathetically weak and the father was trying to avoid any responsibility. I thought of the concept of agape love during this film. Agape love can show the viewer how this family is so, so far from perfect love. I am also reminded of how Jesus summed up the law in two commandments: Loving the Lord God with all heart, soul and mind, and loving neighbors as oneself. It is sad to see a family, like in this film, act so from loving anyone other than themselves.