Father Konrad finds himself in a downward spiral of spiritual crisis after hearing the confession of The Lynx who has been tasked with killing a suspected traitor during WWII. The great question is if the condemned man is truly guilty. If he is guilty, can our priest grant The Lynx absolution? Thus, a tale of morality, faith, guilt, society, and truth unfolds.
Father Konrad goes through different iterations of trying to solve this problem. Ultimately, he offers to kill in the Lynx’s place, to save this young man from sin. The analogy of Christ shouldering sin peeks through. We then see the toll such a weight may carry.
Director Różewicz employs several arthouse favourite motifs to emphasize the severity of Konrad’s crisis. Conspicuously heavy rain, trudging through mud and dirt, and black and white ascetic dream sequences plague Konrad constantly. The film is not restrained in tone or temperament though. Father Konrad is an expressive character and the emergent music within the church amplifies the spiritual experience.
I think the genius of the film lies in its first scene. Before meeting the Lynx, Father Konrad performs the last rites for a dying man. The dying man, presumably mad at this point, claims Konrad is an imposter. I posit Konrad’s crisis of faith was already in motion. The dying man’s proclamation was less foreshadowing and more heralding.
The man the Lynx was tasked with killing is named Alojz. The Father observes Alojz’ acute perception and expressions earlier in the film. During a later confrontation between Father Konrad and Alojz, the latter has some scathing words:
You’re so absent-minded, Father. You’re talking like you lacked your own opinion. You must’ve got all mixed-up.
“lacking your own opinion” resonated with me. I think that notion of our conviction and authenticity of opinion is worth thinking about.
I thought the rhetoric of the film asked when the evil starts in men? When, exactly, does the devil grab hold? What does the unraveling look like as exemplified by the presumably purest of souls: a priest.
