The movie tells a seemingly simple story of a secret policeman assigned to a task of invigilation of the future Pope John Paul II. The story is entirely focused on secret police, the protagonist and his superior. There is very little about people of the church, we see them from the distance, we are not even told what do they do. More time is devoted to a cabaret where people who chose to live outside of the framework of surrounding workers paradise. We are also shown, in a rather dispassionate manner how the state crushes people in order to force them to collaborate. As the movie is shot in black and white, it all adds up to a claustrophobic atmosphere. There does not seem to be any way out.
The movie does excellent depicting atmosphere in an oppressive communist state. However, we should keep in mind that by 1960s Polish police state was not particularly brutal, people were not murdered, they were rarely physically abused. As it turns out, there are more "civilized" methods to force people into obedience and break their personalities. For those lucky enough never to experience life in a police state or those who may imagine all political systems are equally oppressive, Strawman can supply plenty of material for thought.
