Krzysztof Zanussi’s strong point has always been the ability of setting up situations in which characters find themselves in a conundrum without an obvious way out. Zanussi’s classic dilemmas are often not the choice between good and evil but between options leading to results impossible to foresee, where the characters and the audience are forced to question their understanding of the mechanisms of life. The core of <Year of the Quiet Sun> is miscommunication and miscalculation ? characters make decisions based on what they think makes sense but every time it turns out the reality was more complex. The result is an ambiguous, tragic story playing with the audience’s need to feel comforted by a well-rounded tale. (Michał CHACI?SKI)