Family Life 1971

An evocative metaphor for Polish society during the Soviet era, Family Life launched Zanussi into the international spotlight when it was selected for Cannes competition. Wit, a successful young engineer, is tricked into returning home for the first time in 6 years. Upon his arrival, he finds a crumbling mansion, an overgrown garden and his father’s business taken over by the state. Each member of his family is alcoholic, suicidal or insane. Structurally formalistic yet melancholically potent, this is a depiction of a capitalist dynasty’s decline.