State of Fear

The story of a young actor, Jan Małecki (W. Malajkat), who struggles with personal and political dilemmas during the martial law period in Poland, December 1981. Małecki, the son of a party official, is preparing for the role of Hamlet in a performance for shipyard workers, but the "To be or not to be" soliloquy begins to become a metaphor for his own identity crisis. Through flashbacks, the events from the Małecki family's past are revealed: the father's (J. Machulski) dismissal by workers in 1956, Jan’s flight from home during the student protests in 1968, and his conflict with his brother (H. Talar), who is an SB officer. Janek, engulfed in inner turmoil, wants no involvement in either theater or politics, and fleeing to Sweden seems to be his only escape from Poland. Despite his efforts to stay detached, he is drawn into a whirlwind of events that force him to confront both the political and personal realities. The film subtly captures the atmosphere of fear, uncertainty, and lack of choice that characterized the martial law period.