I read profesional and user critics about this film. Was interesting, because anybody talk about the one thing about Jakub (one of the caracters). This movie is about the nature and human instinct. Jakub fallen in love, my friends. He loves the bachelor Piotr, but in this world he need camouflage your instinct, he can't say the true. All the thing is about the instinct: the students are very liberal, the animals follow your instincts, the little boy when he cries, the crazy student when he does crazy things... Piotr try to follow your own instincts whit the english student, but not can whit the rage, always he found the moral limits, the culture limits. Jakub is the most retrained person in this movie: he can't play in the river whit the students (just can watch). In the last scene, in fact, Jakub, again, just can watch... He try to destroyed the Piotr illusion of love, when he show a english student making love in a river when other guy. Later, he forced Piotr to follow your instinct, to follow the rage. Jakub say in the last line: "I prefer to die". Why say something like that? Because your instinct say: "I love Piotr, but, in this world, I can't say it and I can't make something whit these animal instinct".

For I have not found any comment on this title, I would like to write few words. I'm afraid that one, who has not seen the film, might regard it as a picture of polish or socialistic realities. Nothing more wrong. The movie is about us, how we change and what we are ready to do to survive and be well. There is a strong contrast of two characters in the story. The first is good-tempered, idealistic but unwise young man, who has just achieved a title of Master of Arts. The second - cynic and outstanding intelligent older colleague who becomes the master for unexperienced young man. Through all dialogues between the two man (real masterpiece) - evil, for a fist glance, master reveals before lofty man the truths about the human nature and points out his naivety.

I recommend watching the film when you are a teenager, then when you are in your mid-twenties, and once again - when you have a job, family, dog, loans, boss and lawn. Zanussi is not moralizing, it is showing the things how they are. It is up to you what you feel is right.

Very good movie. A lot of talking, not recommended to everyone, yet powerful. The characters are strongly depicted. I loved the small details: the student who get drunk-very dostoievskyan-, the dog that does not bite, the blond baby, the girl who seems to love the young teacher but who ultimately doesn't really. I was a little irritated by the old professor, his cynism was too heavy handed, and this almost made me give a 7/10 to the movie, but at the end the details were too powerful and made this movie a very good one.