FIGURANT/ STRAWMAN

Poland, 2023, 103 minutes, Black-and-white.

Mateusz Widclawek, Mariana Zydek, Adrian Brzakala, Zbigniew Stryj, Maciej Mikolajczyk.

Directed by Robert Glinkski.

Unexpected and arresting.

At the centre of this film is the Polish bishop, Karol Wojtyla, in the 1950s and the 1960s, years before he was elected Pope John Paul II. However, he is not the central character – which makes this drama more intriguing. The title indicates the intrigue. Figurant means a supporting character, even one who does not speak. The English translation is strawman. And the question is whether the future Pope in this drama is the figurant or it is the official who pursues him in secret surveillance over the years.

One of the striking features of this film is that it is in black-and-white (a glimpse of colour towards the end, stained-glass windows, light, moment of grace). Life in Communist Poland in those years was very much black-and-white, a socialist government was anti-Catholic Church, ideologically atheist, determined to undermine the Church, practising Catholics, and, especially, the clergy. Close observation, secret photos and recordings, arrests and interrogations, torture, and, when no indications of guilt, the fabrication of scenarios to destroy clerics. And fostering dissent between Bishop Wojtyla and Cardinal Wyszynski of Warsaw.

So, indeed, the central character is Bronek Bundy (Mateusz Wieclawek), a talented photographer, war orphan and brought up by nuns whom he resents, approaching government officials for a job – and his appointment for surveillance of Father Wojtyla, newly made a bishop, looking for suspicious contacts, observing him and photographing him as he comes out of his Presbytery over the years. Bronek also ingratiates himself with  a young priest who is doing his PhD under Wojtyla’s supervision.

The actor portraying Karol Wojtyla looks sufficiently like him from the past but at various times there are inserts, newsreel footage of the man himself, episodes like raising the cross in the new city of Nova Huta, and protests by Catholics put down by armed police.

Throughout the film, there is also the personal drama of Bronek, his relationship with Marta, marriage, pregnancy, miscarriage, depression, and growing suspicions about her husband’s behaviour and secrecy. The other drama for Bronek is his ingratiating himself with the young PhD student priest, discussing philosophical issues of love (with reference to Archbishop Wojtyla’s own writings of the time), the developing of friendship but which is based on deceit, leading to a terrible conclusion with the priest who has been set up, drugged in a compromising situation.

The film is very interesting in itself but will be of greater interest to Catholic audiences, especially older Catholic audiences who are more familiar with the life of John Paul II and will be intrigued by this picture of his experiences in his Poland, years before Solidarity and his years as Pope.

1. The title, the supporting role, the silent role? The English translation as strawman? Bronek as the strawman? Archbishop Wojtyla as the strawman?
2. The relationship between this story and actual characters? Spying in the 1950s and 1960s Poland? Targeting church officials? Targeting Wojtyla? Interrogations, secret photography, surveillance, reports, and the fabrication of stories, especially with father Michal?
3. The use of black-and-white photography, sense of the past, sense of realism? The integration of newsreel footage, of events like the raising of the cross, the riots, actual sequences of Archbishop Wojtyla? And the significance of the moment it colour at the end, stained-glass window, indication of God’s grace?
4. A film of the 2020s, decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, decades after these events in Poland, and memories of the solidarity movement in the 1980s? Communist Ideology, socialism, atheism, the Catholic Church as enemy, the surveillance of Cardinal Wyszynski, the surveillance of bishops and clergy? The stances taken by Catholics, riots, protests, the police with guns and bullets?
5. Audience knowledge of the life of Karol Wojtyla, in Poland, work, seminary, ordination, Roman studies, his thesis, love and responsibility, publications, the authorities reading his book, stating his ideas? Parish priest and ministry, reputation? Becoming auxiliary Bishop, the issue of the Archbishop, the role of Cardinal Wyszynski, the authorities setting up hostilities, Wojtyla becoming Archbishop of Kraków, the raising of the cross, the new church at Nova Huta, his supervising Father Michal’s PhD, philosophy, theology, ethics?
6. The introduction to Bronek, his age, with the camera, the initial photos, in black and white, his skills, walking around the city, at public events? Going to the Cathedral, listening to the sermon? The ideas of Wojtyla? His seeing Marta, her chatting and friend, following her, the conversation, photography, at his place, nudity, photography, the sexual encounter, sharing with her, the outings, the proposal, the ring and her acceptance? His seeking permission from the officials, her parents’ Catholic attitude, the wedding, her pregnancy?
7. Bronek and his studies, presenting himself to the officials, the good impression, the interview, the chocolate, his status, secrecy from Marta, his mission, surveillance of Wojtyla as a priest, the sequences at the door, the range of people, talking, his touch, the kisses, the interrogations, the dying woman and her child and the ransacking of her house, secretary, her infatuation, her son, the polio injections to try to check whether the boy was the priest’s son, the officials and their responses, praise, medals and decorations, planning scandals and lies?
8. Bronek’s absence, Marta suspicions, his boasting of promotion, the new apartment, her fall, his absences, the miscarriage, her depression, not communicating, in the institution, coming back home, reconciliation, the new pregnancy? The discussions with her friend, Bronek and his spy hole against his wife?
9. Father Michal, as a person, as a priest, his ministry, his studies, supervision, the confrontation with the officials, the bad cop, good cop routine? Bronek as the good cop, persuasive, quoting his poetry, the gift of Wojtyla’s books, signing the document? The discussions, the seeming friendship, the hike on the mountain, the revelation that Bronek knew the priests subject for his thesis? The disillusionment? The priest becoming the victim, the request for the anointing, the girl in the setup, drugging him, the compromising situation, the photos, on the mountain, the seemingly chance encounter, Bronek and the photos, wanting him to sign the document, to bump boy Tiller’s apartment? The priest throwing himself from the cliff with such a moral dilemma?
10. The consequences for Bronek, the surveillance over the years, his having to report, his estimation of Wojtyla, seeming admiration?
11. Going home, the confrontation with his wife, her friend, her leaving, the empty house?
12. The impact of all this work and secrecy over the years, the relationship with his wife, her walking out with the baby, the death of the priest, his going to the confessional, Wojtyla, the questioning about the parable of the prodigal son and its ending, his confessing about his marriage and his fault. The killing of the priest, but his leaving the church, and the glimpse of stained-glass, colour, grace?
13. The years passing, older, photographing, seeing his wife, the boy throwing the paper plane, his response, looking at the boy, looking if his wife – and the end of the film at that moment? The audience supplying possible scenarios for the future?