The Scar

Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski
Year Released: 1976
Rating: 2.0

Detached image of grim Poland - using some filters I imagine - and the development of a factory in a small town; the title refers to the damaged land after all the beautiful wildlife and countless trees are excised from the area (and replaced with a polluting monstrosity). It's most valuable as a depiction of the pros and cons of the development of such an institution - more work is handed out but the surrounding area has to be mangled because of it (not to mention the ensuing problem of ecological contamination) - but it's also (to some degree) not exactly involving; it's more a sociological picture than one designed to explore the factory manager's (Franciszek Pieczka) internal conflict. According to the Channel 4 website, Kieslowski reportedly wasn't too happy with it, but I'd say it presents a more levelheaded look at politics and progress than the tiresome No End and Blind Chance.