Afterimage (Powidoki)

Now that Andrzej Wajda has finally exited from the Polish cinematic scene it's become easier to assess the significant strengths and weaknesses of this architect of post-WWII Polish cinema. Afterimage is probably the late director’s best film since Korczak (1990) and features a magnificent turn from Polish 1980s and 1990s stalwart Bogusław Linda as the charismatic artist Władysław Strzemiński. The director’s affinity for the independence of the artist against institutional pressures animates this quietly effective biopic.