I’ve decided to put together this discussion guide for the Movie the Decalogue (Dekalog 1989). IMDB page here
For those who don’t know this movie series, it’s basically Kieslowski’s attempt to make each of the 10 commandments into a movie. The result are wonderful 1 hour films from a very impartial point of view (even though the director is not Christian). The point of them is to spark discussion and I think they manage to do that very well.
Here are some discussion questions, to be used after you watch the movie. I will try to post a study guide on each of them. Here we go with episode 1:
Decalogue 1 - “I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
Exodus 20:3 says “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Verse 4 says “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”
In the beginning of the movie, the aunt is watching the TV reportage that her nephew was in. The final scene reverts to that initial image.
Who is the silent figure appearing throughout the film?
There are a few interpretations of this character. One possibility is that he is a Christ-like figure. Another is that he is an angel who observes but cannot intervene. Notice that in the beginning of the movie, the silent observer is looking directly at the audience. Also, notice that when the father goes to look for his son, the silent observer is not by the fire anymore. That could suggest that he has intervened in the outcome, or, on the contrary, that he is not interested in helping the father.
What are the ‘gods’ that the movie talks about?
The computer is a god for the father. He has all the markings of an idol. A definition of an idol is something that is adored blindly and excessively. Does the father trust his computer blindly? Yes and no. If you look closely, you will see that the father does double check the calculations. He also goes outside to test the ice himself. However, the father does believe in computers. In his lecture at the university, he reveals that he believes that a supercomputer would be able to choose between right and wrong and make the correct decisions.
The aunt asks her nephew if his computer can reveal dreams. The son asks the question, and the answer is “I don’t know”. However, the son says that he is sure that his father’s computer could indeed reveal dreams. Does the son sincerely believe that? Keep in mind that the father does not oppose the idea of his son going to see the priest in the near future.
As a side note, it is interesting to mention the fact that the aunt could also have an idol, in the form of Pope John Paul II. However, it seems that she knows that he is simply a godly man, but not a god himself.
What is the son’s worldview?
The son has a very inquisitive mind. In the beginning of the movie, he takes great interest in the pigeon’s visit. When playing chess against the chess master, the son sees a pattern of thinking. His mind revolves around systems. The son asks his father what is death. His response is a very anatomic explanation that death is “when the heart stops beating and when the blood is not
pumped anymore”. Looking back at that definition, is the father able to deal with the death of his son in the same way?
How can illogical occurrences be explained?
For instance, how does the father deal with the bottle of ink breaking? The father’s calculations were not wrong; the ice should have held. In one of the final scene of the movie, the father goes by the ice and holds a piece of ice in his hand, as proof that the ice was present. Notice how the computer turns on automatically twice in the movie. Have you ever had a similar experience? Do you think all such occurrences have a rational explanation?
Further Questions
If the father was a believer, would that have changed the outcome?
Can measurement be applied to everything?
