Eroica

Based on a pair of World War II stories by Jerzy Stefan Stawinski, the film unfolds in two parts. The first,"Scherzo Alla Pollaca," tells the tale of a small-time black marketeer, who cares little about the war. He unwittingly becomes involved with the Polish Resistance, and in time his actions render him heroic, though his motivations are not those of the ideal soldier. In the second story, "Ostinato Lugubre," Polish military prisoners battle boredom and despair in a prison camp; one inmate decides that he can no longer stand to be confined and makes a brave if foolhardy attempt to escape. While no one is sure if the man actually made it out, his escape provides a sense of hope and inspiration for the other prisoners. (official distributor synopsis)