Dekalog: Miniseries
Inspired by the decalogue of the Ten Commandments for thematic inspiration and an overarching structure, Dekalog is a 1989 Polish psychological drama television miniseries directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski and co-written by Kieslowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, featuring music by Zbigniew Preisner. The series grapples deftly with complex moral and existential questions concerning life, death, love, hate, truth, and th
Season 1 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- The series is inspired by the decalogue of the Ten Commandments for its thematic inspiration and overarching structure.
- The narratives examine the dilemma of fundamental sin in the lives of ordinary Warsaw citizens residing in an austere housing project in 1980s Poland.
- Characters face one or several moral or ethical dilemmas concerning life, death, love, hate, truth, and the passage of time.
- The lives of the characters become subtly intertwined as they face emotional dilemmas that are deeply personal and universally human.
Season overview
Inspired by the decalogue of the Ten Commandments for thematic inspiration and an overarching structure, Dekalog is a 1989 Polish psychological drama television miniseries directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski and co-written by Kieslowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, featuring music by Zbigniew Preisner. The series grapples deftly with complex moral and existential questions concerning life, death, love, hate, truth, and the passage of time. Each installment explores characters facing one or several moral or ethical dilemmas as they reside in an austere housing project in 1980s Poland. The lives of these ordinary Warsaw citizens become subtly intertwined as they face emotional dilemmas that are at once deeply personal and universally human. The Ten Commandments, exact and uncompromising, literally cast in stone, continues to provide a source of moral conflict in contemporary society as Kieslowski examines the dilemma of fundamental sin in the lives of ordinary citizens across the ten-part collection of films.
Episode Guide
Season 1 Progress Shield
Dekalog: One
Dec 10, 1989 · 56 min
“I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other God but me.” Ten-year-old Pawel and his father Krzysztof run their lives on their beloved home computer, while Pawel’s aunt worries
Dekalog: Two
May 11, 1990 · 59 min
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” An elderly doctor is approached by a woman with a complicated request. Her husband is gravely ill and may die, and she i
Dekalog: Three
May 18, 1990 · 58 min
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Janusz is a taxi driver. It’s Christmas Eve, and he honours the (Polish) traditions for this (holy) day: he gives presents to the membe
Dekalog: Four
May 25, 1990 · 58 min
“Honour thy father and thy mother.” Young Anka and her father have lived together since her mother’s death, and have always been more like close friends than father and daughter. O
Dekalog: Five
Jun 1, 1990 · 60 min
“Thou shalt not kill.” A shorter, slightly less graphic version of “A Short Film About Killing,” but the plot is essentially the same: murder followed by execution, two killings, o
Dekalog: Six
Jun 8, 1990 · 61 min
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” A shorter, scaled-down version of “A Short Film About Love,” with a less complex plot and a different ending—though the basic narrative about the
Dekalog: Seven
Jun 15, 1990 · 58 min
“Thou shalt not steal.” But in this case the “theft” is of a child by her real mother, who then finds herself emotionally unable to cope with the responsibility, while the stable a
Dekalog: Eight
Jun 22, 1990 · 57 min
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” A Polish-American researcher visits Warsaw and attends a lecture about ethics. Afterwards, she approaches Zofia, the lect
Dekalog: Nine
Jun 29, 1990 · 61 min
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife.” Roman, after discovering his impotence, urges his wife Hanka to take a lover. She reluctantly complies, and Roman, despite his earlier
Dekalog: Ten
Jul 6, 1990 · 60 min
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s goods.” Especially not when it leads to the conclusion of this black comedy about two brothers who inherit their father’s valuable stamp colle