In Zanussi’s contemplative drama, two physicists reunite in postwar Poland and confront the clash between ambition and contentment.
The cinema of Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi has often been considered a microcosm of Poland itself. His protagonists are usually university-educated characters grappling with the societal challenges of a postwar country’s clash with communism. Widely considered one of the most important Polish auteurs of his generation, Zanussi has had a prolific film career dating back to his 1969 debut feature The Structure of Crystal (Struktura krysztalu), a rich, psychological drama about friendship, career and the pursuit of happiness.
The film’s protagonists are two talented physicists – one of whom, Jan (Jan Myslowicz), has left the city for the countryside to become a meteorologist, while the other has established a brilliant career in science. Early on, we see that Jan is content in his surroundings; his weather observations offer only simple, steady work, and he has grown accustomed to a more sedentary life. These values are challenged when his academic professor friend Marek Kawecki (Adrzej Zarnecki), visits Jan’s countryside home and presents a very different perspective on success, happiness, family, and life.
On Kawecki’s first night there, Jan and his wife, Anna (Barbara Wrzesinksa), welcome him over dinner. The following morning, the two friends walk together and reminisce about old times. Jan mentions his positive experience as a visiting professor at Harvard University, revealing that he has not always lived in the isolation he and his family now embrace. It also highlights that these friends diverged on their life paths long ago.
“Like a Chekhov play. We’re only missing a samovar. Everybody’s having tea. Silence and nothing happens.”
”Actually, there is a lot happening in Chekhov’s plays.”
This dialogue between Jan and Kawecki captures their opposing philosophies. Kawecki reminds Jan that he’s in the prime of his life – with a quarter of it already gone, he must now strive to achieve something. Both men of similar backgrounds are confronted by moral dilemmas about adulthood and its choices.
Zanussi, who also studied physics, examines what it means to live a good life – the struggle between an inner vocation and the courage to pursue one’s own path. The film’s title, referring to the mineralogical arrangement of atoms in an ordered pattern of symmetry, may reflect Jan’s choice. Crystals, formed from repetitive structures, mirror Jan’s equally regular, controlled existence. We first see his home physically isolated in a bleak, wintry landscape, which frames the story using similar desolate locations.
By bookending the film with the black and white landscapes, Zanussi suggests two distinct messages. Once we understand Jan’s viewpoint, the same stark, empty vistas become imbued with peace, happiness, and fulfillment. Despite having financial problems, Jan appears unconcerned about returning to academia and has found serenity with his family. Meanwhile, Kawecki, who reveals he is divorced and “not the marrying kind,” stands in marked contrast, highlighting how different choices yield different lives.
“Has it ever occurred to you that “catching your breath” may be the right way to live?”
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Struktura Krysztalu (The Structure of Crystal
Director Krzysztof Zanussi
Writers Krzysztof Zanussi, Edward Zebrowski
Stars Barbara Wrzesinska, Jan Myslowicz, Andrezej Zarnecki
Running Time 1h 14m
Genres Drama