Decalogue, The - X: "Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbour's Goods." (1989)

Kieslowski's Decalogue

On the left - finding out exactly how much the stamp collection is worth.  On the right... constipation. 

Genre: Drama (Poland)

Starring: Jerzy Stuhr (Three Colours: White), Zbigniew Zamachowski (Three Colours: White)

Directed By: Krzysztof Kieslowski (The Double Life Of Veronique; Three Colours Trilogy)

Overview: When their father dies, two brothers inherit his stamp collection.  When they discover its worth and the time devoted to amassing it, they debate whether to sell it at all...

Performance:

The idiosyncratic mix of characters in this one is interesting.  We have our regular everyday Joe (above right), who is so non-descript that it's part of his character.  Then we have his younger brother, the frontman in a punk band - wonderfully introduced in a scene where he yells lyrics on stage imploring the audience to break Commandments - who is anything but sedentary.  Surround them with shady characters and geeky poindexter stamp collectors, and you have yourself a nice jumping off point.
Rating: 8

Cinematography:

The rote Kieslowskian style, meaning naturalistic with a heavy 'observer' slant on the lens. Far more filmic than the television it was made for, fans of the more realistic shooting style will appreciate this tremendously.
Rating: 8

Script:

The transition from wanting to sell the collection to coveting it could have been better written, explained in a way that would drive the poignancy of the shift of priorities deeper, but we certainly do understand the importance and the extreme example of this Commandment as the characters grow fearful and suspicious.  A nice exercise in suspicion and miserly behaviour.   
Rating: 8

Plot:

One of the more engaging tales in the series, we have two men who inherit some stamps.  When they realize how very valuable they are, they try to clean up their mistakes, then debate whether they should even sell them at all. The risk and the cost grows and grows, becoming an obsession, and eventually escalates to a strange conclusion that dips enough into the absurd to make it brilliant and original. 
Rating: 8

Mood:

Decalogue IX touched upon the comical from time to time, and this does so as well as the story goes in an enjoyably familiar direction. As we watch our characters bumble around, the lens often reminds us with deep focus how valuable these little pieces of paper are, all while you're left writhing and talking to the screen, yelling, "No don't do that!" 
Rating: 8

I mean after everything said and done, they're just little stickers!

Overall Rating: 80% (Goods!)

Aftertaste:

A nice 'warm blanket of predictability' film where you know how it's going to end due to the style of the nine films that have come before, we end The Decalogue series on a pleasurable note.

My favorite is without a doubt Decalogue I, and if there's any you must see, it's that one.  My average score for the series sits at 78%, and that's pretty decent in my books.