Watch

A Short Film About Love

Remove ads

A Short Film About Love

1988

Romance

Drama

1h 27m

19-year-old Tomek whiles away his lonely life by spying on his opposite neighbour Magda through binoculars... (imdb)

Directed by:

Krzysztof Kieslowski

Written by:

Krzysztof Kieslowski

Krzysztof Piesiewicz

+1 more

Starring:

Artur Barcis

Grazyna Szapolowska

Olaf Lubaszenko Stefania Iwinska Piotr Machalica Miroslawa Chojnacka Malgorzata Rozniatowska Jan Piechocinski Emilia Ziólkowska Stanislaw Gawlik Jaroslawa Michalewska

Genres:

Romance, Drama

AKA:

Krótki film o milosci

Country:

Poland

Languages:

Polish, Portuguese

More information at IMDb

See title update history

Suggest an edit

Show Less

Your probable score

A Short Film About Love

1988

Romance

Drama

1h 27m

Your probable score

Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Avg Percentile 77.6% from 1509 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

(1509)

Compact view

clear

Compact view

Show

Sort

Spunkie

Rated 05 Apr 2007

Kieslowski's treatment to a "rear window" love theme. He treats love with joy and boyishness rarely encountered in his films, but he also treats love as a problematic of life itself. The basic visuals of the film are some of the most eerie and powerful I have seen.

Rated 05 Apr 2007

Report

Suture Self

Rated 13 Jan 2009

Simple and bittersweet.

Rated 13 Jan 2009

Report

Icarus

Rated 07 Aug 2011

Strikingly different from the shortened version that appears in Kieslowski's Decalogue (6), the film details the human need to love and be loved. The shy, loving teen and the older woman who scorns love rarely occupy the same frame, desiring but unable to truly connect. Only in the masterful final scenes, as the couple begins to feel and see through the eyes of the other, is the dangerous possibility of real love awakened--or crushed for good.

Rated 07 Aug 2011

Report

velocipedist

Rated 04 Feb 2008

This is Kieslowski's commentary on the commandment "You shall not commit adultery". Adultery is seen as physical love lacking affection. It's sinfulness comes from the fact, that it actually kills the true love. True love is affectionate and rather than being physical is a state of mind.

Rated 04 Feb 2008

Report

PeaceAnarchy

Rated 19 Dec 2010

Creepy and sad, but that's what makes it so poignant and fantastic. The characters are broken but endearing people and we get to witness a series of wonderful little moments in their lives. The changes from the Dekalog episode are slight but do help to flesh things out a little.

Rated 19 Dec 2010

Report

giturra

Rated 28 Sep 2010

Oh my! what a beautiful heart wrenching movie this is. The story is minimal, the characters are mostly people you wouldn't normally root for, but it's one of the most poetic, romantic tragedies ever put on film. Kind of like a "Rear window" with an emotional twist. A simple story of people in search of love that don't know how to deal with their own lives, that becomes an examination of what love really is and how to deal with loss. It can make most men cry at the end. One of my favorite movies

Rated 28 Sep 2010

Report

Vendetta

Rated 14 Aug 2007

The most beautiful love movie ever made ..

Rated 14 Aug 2007

Report

MartinTeller

Rated 24 Jan 2007

This is pretty much exactly the same as Dekalog 6 except a little bit stretched out and with a slightly more hopeful ending. It's good, but if you've seen Dekalog there's not much point.

Rated 24 Jan 2007

Report

QVT

Rated 30 Aug 2009

Hilariously bad. I know you're not supposed to laugh when a dude cuts himself to drink his own blood or when someone gets told they're being spied on so they move their bed into clear view so their watcher can see them suck a really 80s looking polish dudes dick. I know you're not supposed to laugh. But I don't know why.

Rated 30 Aug 2009

Report

chemical404

Rated 08 Jul 2009

Beautiful film, filled with masterful lighting and masterful shots. It's fragile, yet strong and unusual. Characters are well developed, alive. Score, composed by Zbigniew Preisner deserves a special mention. It fits the mood perfectly, even makes it stronger. My only complaint? Even at 80 minutes it feels a bit too long.

Rated 08 Jul 2009

Report

Moribunny

Rated 17 May 2011

There is not a lot of depth to A Short Film About Love, and the characters are quite crudely drawn, but for its seemingly light weight it carries impact. It is sentimental, but always tasteful, never trite. Because of the simplicity of the characterization, it relies crucially on acting, and that the three principal actors are perfectly type-cast and give powerful performances is indispensable to the film's artistic success.

Rated 17 May 2011

Report

willofgaia

Rated 14 Aug 2007

Not as strong as Dekalog 6, but still everything you'd expect from Kieslowski, namely, that it's good

Rated 14 Aug 2007

Report

feublo

Rated 22 May 2018

The two endings are both significant in their own way. Tomek is a mere model for those being initiated into their first experience of love/sexuality. It goes to show the impact it has via the ending of Dekalog 6. On the other hand, Magda gives us a recognizable character who simply lives through experiences of lust and finds herself bare of any form of love - until Tomek. Again the film lets you decide the extent of human desire and distinguishing what love/adultery really is.

Rated 22 May 2018

Report

damil

Rated 26 Jun 2012

I thought it was great. It was quite beautiful in its simplicity and minimalism. Not a lot actually happened in the story, but I was never bored. I was impressed with how it shifted perspective from one character to another. Recommended.

Rated 26 Jun 2012

Report

Rufam

Rated 09 Jul 2012

Better than "Krótki film o zabijaniu" because of an obviously more compelling storyline. This time, the simplistic main idea is even more banal but Kieslowski conveys his message (sweet and mildly optimistic, actually) in a more convincing and non-patronizing manner. Despite the great characters and the effective minimalistic camerawork however, the deliberate pacing and overall dullness are not justified.

Rated 09 Jul 2012

Report

vincente

Rated 17 Dec 2007

null

Rated 17 Dec 2007

Report

darkman

Rated 29 Jul 2009

Great characters.

Rated 29 Jul 2009

Report

seydakesen

Rated 27 Oct 2015

herhalde beni oldureceksin kieslowski.

Rated 27 Oct 2015

Report

Spanks

Rated 02 Mar 2011

I had a serious problem with all the voyeurism and obession in the beginning, but like classic Kieslowki, Tomek confessed to it fairly soon and the movie really takes off in the best way from that point. For a runtime of only about 80 minutes, it's a pretty impressive film and allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions.

Rated 02 Mar 2011

Report

chengming

Rated 06 Jun 2021

Kieslowski manages to imbue a simple story with a couple of emotional moments (albeit not quite as powerful ones as the title had led me to believe). Storytelling is great as usual - even if there is a fair amount of dialogue, it is rarely needed to carry the movie.

Rated 06 Jun 2021

Report

Neonman

Rated 29 Dec 2010

A well paced investigation in voyeurism, humiliation, adolescence, understanding, and neighbourly love.

Rated 29 Dec 2010

Report

RedBarDragon

Rated 17 Nov 2013

There are some movies that not only speak to you. They touch you. Sometimes they even hurt you. I give them 100% and I found a new member of this exclusive club on tv. I was bored and wanted to watch something. I thought I was in for a mediocre movie that will only dull my boredom. What I got was incredible. I was literally sitting in front of my TV with my mouth open by the end of this movie..

Rated 17 Nov 2013

Report

lethias

Rated 19 Apr 2022

My first Kieslowski's Dekalog (well, spin off but okay). Beautifully alluring and a bit twisted slow-paced love story. Loved how movie plays with out perception of love and intimacy. What I found interesting was the woman's responses (feels a bit unnatural?) and the shift from external pleasure of love to internal. Lubaszenko's performance is excellent. A product of Lodz film school, cinematographically a master piece like all Kieslowski's films I've seen so far.

Rated 19 Apr 2022

Report

theyshoot07

Rated 02 Mar 2008

# 922

Rated 02 Mar 2008

Report

sogol

Rated 01 Oct 2016

the girl come about knowing how she can hurt the feelings

Rated 01 Oct 2016

Report

fragola

Rated 16 Jul 2011

Fantastic, the dekalog's are

Rated 16 Jul 2011

Report

bmilky

Rated 01 Nov 2011

lovely funny story

Rated 01 Nov 2011

Report

sengir

Rated 30 Oct 2011

A simple story told both beautifully and poetically, capturing a certain humane essence like only Kieslowski could. It's still unbelievable that 'the decalogue' contained 10 of these gems.

Rated 30 Oct 2011

Report

mddglu

Rated 03 Jun 2015

3.6.15

Rated 03 Jun 2015

Report

Derekstar

Rated 16 Nov 2010

I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE ENDING OF THIS MOVIE.

Rated 16 Nov 2010

Report

Noam Raz

Rated 11 Aug 2012

This film had reveled to me, in the middle of my adolescent, when Art was an unknown mystery to me and so does Beauty, the somewhat quaint and vague nature of aesthetics.

Rated 11 Aug 2012

Report

Ceekay19

Rated 07 Nov 2019

Magda: "Why are you peeping at me?"

Rated 07 Nov 2019

Report

theyshoot08

Rated 19 Dec 2008

967

Rated 19 Dec 2008

Report

AFlickering

Rated 08 Nov 2018

perhaps only kieslowski could make a "short film about love" about an invasive peeping tom and avoid the slightest pinch of irony, celebrating instead the binding potential of the gaze. the harsher, more judgemental conclusion of the DEKALOG version (on paper--i haven't seen it) is discarded in favour of an intimate moment of connection which, given how these characters are analogues for film and audience respectively, seems to burst through the screen.

Rated 08 Nov 2018

Report

kough33

Rated 27 Dec 2013

Love is contagious Mary Magdalena, isn’t it?

Rated 27 Dec 2013

Report

qwershady

Rated 11 May 2014

the only good one in the movie is POSTER. yea

Rated 11 May 2014

Report

JSchlansky

Rated 17 Jun 2023

Cougar next door fools around with young milkman but make it sad as fuck

Rated 17 Jun 2023

Report

SirStuckey

Rated 17 Jul 2014

Thank you film class. I would never have seen (let alone heard about) this movie otherwise and it's quite good.

Rated 17 Jul 2014

Report

metis

Rated 06 Aug 2021

9??????????????????????/?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????/??????????????????????????????????????????????????(T ^ T)?

Rated 06 Aug 2021

Report

oncelmiran

Rated 01 Sep 2020

One of the remarkable scenes in the movie was when Tomek puts ice in his ears he does this to forget and get away from his love but he can't as he said he has a great memory and it is kind of a curse in his situation. Also after putting ice in his ears he then eats that ice like he tasted his own blood. This gave him great pleasure I think this scenes represented pleasure of pain and sorrow in a romantic relationship. overall this movie is one of the best Love movies that I have ever watched.

Rated 01 Sep 2020

Report

ott

Rated 29 Oct 2014

For years I have been in love with this film. Now like meeting an old lover from the past... ...Only slightly, only slightly less then I used to, my love.

Rated 29 Oct 2014

Report

dardan

Rated 01 Jan 2016

Kieslowski and Piesiewicz understood people.

Rated 01 Jan 2016

Report

empiremag

Rated 22 Apr 2009

"This can't help but pale beside the emotional punch of A Short Film About Killing, but emerges as a near-masterpiece nonetheless."

Rated 22 Apr 2009

Report

vandenio

Rated 26 Feb 2014

I liked how the perspective was shifted from one character to another.

Rated 26 Feb 2014

Report

driscarpin

Rated 13 Feb 2007

Quando assisti o longa Não Amarás há quase trinta anos eu era uma adolescente romântica ultra platônica e cujo livro favorito era o Werther de Goethe, ou seja, me identifiquei totalmente com aquele pós-adolescente do filme e achei o melhor e mais romântico filme do mundo. Pois então, os anos passaram e vejo que me tornei justamente a protagonista feminina cínica e é desse ponto de vista que o vejo hoje e mesmo assim ele continua um puta filme, é o filme definitivo sobre o encontro de

Rated 13 Feb 2007

Report

Pickpocket

Rated 05 Aug 2010

A simple but effective story on obsession, voyeurism and guilt. I liked how Kieslowski didn't reveal too much about Tomek and allows the viewer to add his own interpretations about why he is the way he is. It added another level to the film for me. Visuals are great and the actors were great too.

Rated 05 Aug 2010

Report

Bunyas

Rated 05 Mar 2023

A short film about prying! (:

Rated 05 Mar 2023

Report

eCitizen

Rated 16 Jan 2013

A young man spies on his attractive older neighbor. He finally gets up the nerve to confess his attractions. However, when she accepts him, he runs away and cuts his wrists. WTF? Another good example of film stupidity. An abysmally stupid conclusion and ultimately pointless. I give it high points for style and the sheer oddity of it, but then I have to subtract away most of them due of the inane ending. All potential is lost when the plot inexplicably turns into pure rubbish.

Rated 16 Jan 2013

Report

Vandelay1

Rated 06 May 2009

Nice Movie. Good Stalking Skills.

Rated 06 May 2009

Report

whatismyname

Rated 30 Apr 2009

After watching and hating "A Short Film about Killing", I was about to think I would hate this as well. The story seems to put together better, and the interactions between all the characters (Tomek, his mother, and Magda) was quite enjoyable.

Rated 30 Apr 2009

Report

theyshoot10

Rated 16 Jan 2010

982

Rated 16 Jan 2010

Report

stevekimes

Rated 21 Jan 2011

A very intimate film about a peeping tom.

Rated 21 Jan 2011

Report

le mami

Rated 22 Oct 2016

Didn't loved the ending in dekalog 6 too. I don't know. I just needed more pain, suffer and sadnees. This movie seems to me more like a sweet love story.

Rated 22 Oct 2016

Report

guyeverton

Rated 28 Mar 2023

I'm afraid I didn't quite believe or understand Magda's motivations here, and the film's message is problematic, especially viewed through 2023 eyes. That being said, KK does brilliantly in endearing us to Tomek in spite of his creepiness, and resists any urges for fairytale conclusions or gratuitous voyeurism through his own lens.

Rated 28 Mar 2023

Report

thereeldeal

Rated 26 Feb 2015

A Short Film About Love contains much of Kieslowski's human compassion and interest in fatalism. I found the resolution of this story to be trite and disappointing, as the display of a man driven mad by his inability to express his obsession is far more interesting than an idealistic and bogus love story. I really wanted to like this one, and I really think Kieslowski took it in the dullest direction. I may rather watch Amateur and No End over this, even. At least those had some weight to them.

Rated 26 Feb 2015

Report