Views of a Retired Night Porter

In 1978, Krzysztof Kieslowski made the short documentary , in which a night watchman unleashed his dubious viewpoints in a monologue. He always kept a close eye on his fellow citizens, and in his mind, the law was superior to man. Almost 30 years later, Andreas Horvath revisits this man, who lives in a Warsaw suburb. He is retired now, his wife is dead, and a lot has changed in his country, but his mentality is unaltered. He watches westerns on TV because he likes the violence, he is in favour of the death penalty and chopping off the hands of thieves, and he prefers the former Communist system over the current one. On his wall, there is a large poster of a tropical paradise. Using subtle dissolves, Horvath follows the man as he returns to the places from the time when everything was better and people still respected him. Even if his world view has not changed in the least, the viewer will see him in a different light. Kieslowski's film was the portrait of a representative of a certain regime, but this film is about an old and lonely man who nobody really takes seriously.