A struggling illustrator and his wife, disliked by his family, drift between jobs before attempting mail fraud. Their scheme leads to the murder of their elderly, disabled landlords.
Going into writer/director Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s 1973 film “Through and Through” completely blind? In hindsight, it’s a bad idea. Królikiewicz’s style is so obtuse and avant-garde that you’re frequently left wondering what is going on. Shot in stark black and white with abstract compositions, a dissonant orchestral score, and long stretches without dialogue, the film is an intentionally challenging viewing experience — and feels every bit of it.
The story centers on Jan (Franciszek Trzeciak) and Maria (Anna Nieborowska), a married couple down on their luck, who wind up committing a string of murders. While the plot is told linearly, crucial information is purposefully left out, making it difficult to get your bearings. By the time the film gets around to the couple’s trial in the final 20 minutes, it has really started to drag. The climax feels like it stretches into eternity. Despite running a scant 74 minutes, it feels like twice that.
I’m not a fan of this type of cinema. Avant-garde cinema can be good when it clicks; here, it is a frustrating experience. By the end, I was more than ready for a break. However, Radiance Films has done right by the film in its Blu-ray™ debut. The transfer, supervised by the film’s cinematographer Bogdan Dziworski, looks fantastic — sharp, film-like, and free of distracting flaws. The audio is clean and clear.
The extras are where this release shines. A 38-minute newly recorded interview with critic Michał Oleszczyk dives into the real-life crime that inspired the movie, giving essential context. Additionally, the disc includes three short films from Królikiewicz — “Everyone Gets What They Don’t Need” from 1966, “Brothers” from 1971, and “Don’t Cry” from 1972 — totaling approximately thirty minutes. Personally, I wasn’t sure I could stomach more from Królikiewicz, so I skipped these shorts. This limited edition set also includes a booklet with writing from Ela Bittencourt.
“Through and Through” is not a film that I’d recommend to the average moviegoer — even seasoned cinephiles may struggle to get through this work. If you’re into challenging, artsy, avant-garde cinema, this is the film for you. Everybody else, consider this a hard pass.
Available on a Limited Edition Blu-ray™ from RADIANCE FILMS August 19th
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