Lotna

In the early days of World War II, a unit of Polish cavalry arrives at a neglected manor. The ailing estate owner, aware that the end is near, entrusts his beloved mare, Lotna, to Captain Chodakiewicz (J. Pichelski). From that moment, the fate of the horse becomes intertwined with that of the entire regiment. The cavalrymen traverse the fiery September trails, briefly stopping at the manor and a nearby village before orders force them into yet another retreat. In one battle, a desperate clash with German tanks takes place, resulting in the death of their commander. After these events, the soldiers briefly find a semblance of normality — young officer cadet Jerzy Grabowski (J. Moes) decides to marry Ewa (B. Kurowska), the local schoolteacher. However, their happiness is soon shattered by continued wandering and bombings. When Jerzy dies during an air raid, Lotna comes under the care of Lieutenant Wodnicki (A. Pawlikowski), who becomes her last rider. Andrzej Wajda’s work, based on a story by Wojciech Żukrowski, portrays a symbolic journey of both man and horse through the tragedy of September 1939 — a time marking the fall of old values and the confrontation of the cavalry myth with the brutality of modern warfare.