It is a beautiful spring of 1981 in Poland. In a seaside town, Janek, a 18 year old son of a navy captain, forms a punk-rock band to express the things that matter to him most. His life is all about music and his first great love – Basia, but things are about to change. Massive strikes organized by “Solidarity” sweep through Poland and the Communist party is secretly preparing to impose a martial law. Tension in the country grows. Teenage rebellion becomes dangerous during political turmoil. A clash with a martial law commissar and a death of a loved one will change Janek’s world forever… —allthatilove.pl
More a coming-of-age film than a commentary on the times, it nevertheless depicts the complexity and ambivalence of Poland in the early 80s. The emotions are both stifled and exuberant, with the band at the center of something larger and somehow beyond their grasp. The erratic camera moves add to the non-stop tension that keeps the film going until the somewhat abrupt end.