Grzegorz Królikiewicz - Fort 13 (1983)

Nightmarish and claustrophobic film from Grzegorz Królikiewicz, one of the most formally radical and innovative Polish filmmakers, yet also one of the least known. Sadly not included in the Polish boxed set of his work, the film shares a little in common with Trier’s Befrielsesbilleder and Lopushansky’s Letters From A Dead Man, along with Ryszard Czekala’s Czlowiek i chleb. Shot almost entirely in darkness with obfuscated framing, it’s difficult to capture film’s unusual beauty in still images, but the densely oppressive atmosphere is overwhelming.

Synopsis:
During the first World War, a Captain and Lieutenant of the Russian army are buried in the basement of the fortress of Przemysl. Water from wells and large supplies of food and candles allow them to survive. The Captain, however, gradually loses his mind and commit suicide. The Lieutenant resigns himselt to fate, keeping a diary and hallucinating whilst living amongst the rats who are his only companions.