The Cinematheque

“[As] Chopin, Eryk Kulm is expressive and vivid … Kwieciński gives his protagonist an autonomy he has lacked in other works devoted to him.”

Bartosz Żurawiecki, Dwutygodnik

Director Michał Kwieciński, Andrzej Wajda’s primary producing partner in his twilight years, presents a kinetic biographical drama that strips away the polished myth to reveal the fragile, tempestuous genius of Fryderyk Chopin. Anchored by a magnetic lead performance from Eryk Kulm, the film immerses us in 1830s Paris—a vibrant cauldron of art, romance, and political turmoil. Leaving Poland behind, the young virtuoso rises to meteoric fame in high society while battling chronic illness, relentless creative pressure, and the anguish of complex relationships. Drawing from Chopin’s private letters, Kwieciński crafts an intimate portrait of a man caught between artistic immortality and his own fading physical strength, set to a score that breathes new energy into classical masterworks.

In French and Polish with English subtitles