Rozmowy Kontrolowane [DVD] [1991]

The Polish filmmaker Sylwester Checiñski may not yet be a household name in the United States on par with his Lodz contemporaries, Polanski and Kieslowski, but neither is he a neophyte; his career stretches back into the early fifties. And though he retains immense popular appeal in Poland, his works are just now seeing the light of day in the United States thanks to the diligence of the Chicago-based Facets Video. The director's 1991 black comedy Calls Controlled (Rozmowy Kontrolowane) - his last film to date - concerns a government official (Stanislaw Tym) torn in two directions by attempting to satisfy the demands of Solidarity proponents and government officials concurrently. The film co-stars Irena Kwiatkowska and Alina Janowska.