Jimmy Robson - Decalogue

Midrash, a Jewish concept, is the use of storytelling to illustrate a religious concept. The Decalogue, a series of short films depicting each of the Ten Commandments, is a great illustration of the use of Midrash. The first episode we watched depicted the First Commandment, which states "You shall have no other Gods before me." The episode is centered around Krzysztof, a Polish university professor and self-proclaimed atheist, and his son Pawel. For Krzysztof and Pawel, computers are the greatest invention to ever come about. Krzysztof's life is consumed with the computer programming and physics, and he wishes to pass on his passion to his son. Pawel is raised by his father to value science and technology over religion. However, when he sees a dead dog, Pawel begins to wonder about death and the afterlife. When he confronts his dad about it, Krzysztof tells him that death is simply the shutting down of the bodies vital organs, implying that this is life is all there is. Krzysztof's faith in computers leads him to allow Pawel to skate on the nearby lake, as he has calculated that the ice is thick enough. His conclusion, however, proves to be wrong when Pawel falls through the ice to his death. Through the use of Midrash, this episode illustrates the First Commandment, as Krzysztof puts his trust in computers, elevating it above God, which he does not believe in. However, because he puts his trust in something that is fallible, it lets him down, therefore proving that trust should only be put in Almighty, perfect God.

In the fifth episode, centered around the Fifth Commandment, which states "You Shall Not Kill", the protagonist, Jacek, murders a taxi cab driver for seemingly no reason. Furthermore, the death is unnecessarily brutal, as he first strangles the driver with a rope, and then finishes him off by slamming a stone on his head. After he is arrested and tried, Jacek is sentenced to death by hanging. The remainder of the movie depicts the time leading up to Jacek's death, in which he asks his lawyer to be buried next to his little sister, who was killed by a drunk friend of Jacek's while driving drunk. The movie ends with Jacek's execution, carried out by six officers that must restrain him, lead him to the noose, and see the execution through. While the film focuses on Jacek's crime, there are three examples of killing in this episode: The killing of the cab driver by Jacek, the death of Jacek's sister because of the drunk driver, and the execution of Jacek. Each of these offers a different view into the command that people should not kill. The murder committed by Jacek speaks out against senseless killing for no real purpose. The death of Jacek's sister concerns accidental killing, most likely implying that people should think of how their actions could affect people in the future. Finally, while most people see execution of murders as a sinless killing, the Bible often speaks out against revenge. At one point in Romans, Paul says that judgment belongs to God alone. Therefore, this scene speaks out against killing to obtain justice.