Lesley Manville commands attention again as a British academic in Communist Poland, finding herself caught in a chilling, atmospheric early-80s thriller.
Psychiatry professor Joan is grumbling through a Warsaw academic conference in mid-December when one night, the city completely shuts down: martial law has been declared. Bearing solid evidence of the authorities’ ruthlessly suppressive tactics, she must quickly find a way out before they extend to her – but with no one to rely on, this will require all the wit and inner strength she has. Expanding a story by Olga Tokarczuk, director Kasia Adamik (1983) brings a wealth of wintry, nightmarish atmosphere to a real historical incident, anchored by a riveting character and her fight to survive. Manville makes Joan’s drastic transformation wholly convincing – and even holds her own in combat with just a clothesline.
