Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
1974
Marta, a middle-aged woman, wife, and mother, leads an orderly family and professional life where everything seems to be under control. When abuses are discovered in her accounting department, she begins to examine her own life and its routine. A chance encounter with an old college friend, Jacek, who is the complete opposite of her husband, awakens in her a need for spontaneity and the rediscovery of long-suppressed emotions. Marta returns to sports, takes trips out of town, allows herself to experiment and express herself, and discusses her doubts with her boss. Faced with the threat of losing her job, she defends it before the director. She then sets off to the seaside in search of Jacek but doesn’t find him, and her search ends with her return home, where a calm and understanding husband awaits her. These events force her to reflect on the balance between duties and desires, everyday life and dreams.