amy- Decalogue #8

Out of all of the episodes, I liked the perspective and message of the eighth episode. The viewer sees this survivor of the Holocaust who obviously still holds the pain of the past in her mind. She confronts a woman, now an ethics professor, who refused to take her in. I like the justification of the Holocaust survivor. Of course she has a reason to be upset. Of course she wants to face her fears with that unwanted and scared child still lingering within herself. The viewer buys into her justification. Then Kieslowski pulls out the twist which relates to the Eighth Commandment: the woman was a frightened underground leader. The ethics professor is by no means absolved, but this fact definitely brings into question the lines of ethical thinking like utilitarian, Kant’s categorical imperative and so on. Kieslowski’s perspective and message then comes into play. I love how the professor said that she should not have lied. She should not have sentenced a little girl to death, despite the consequences. The ethics professor sees how she should have followed her conscience as well as the Eighth Commandment. Another line of thinking this brought me to the concept of never being able to save oneself. The professor had clearly saved the lives of many during World War II, but was still haunted by the thought of that little girl. She had made a mistake which could have caused the death of another. I am shown the perspective of this multi-dimensional life which we make go wrong everyday. For me, this episode shows my own fallibility and inability to be anywhere near perfection.