Knife in the Water

1962, NR, 94 minutes, Directed by Roman Polanski, Written (in Polish with English subtitles) by Jakub Goldberg, Roman Polanski & Jery Skolimowski, Produced by Stanislaw Zylewicz, Cinematorgraphy by Jerzy Lipman, Music by Krzystztof Komeda 

With: Leon Niemczyk (Andrzej), Jolanta Umecka (Krystyna), Zygmunt Malanowicz (Young Boy)

It all started innocently enough. A older professor and his much younger wife decide to spend a day sailing on the lake. But that all changes when the professor decides to pick up a brash young hitchhiker and bring him along. With the addition of one man a day on the lake becomes a day of tension and competition, a male one upmanship. So is the story in Roman Polanski’s A Knife in the Water.

Polanski and Goldberg wrote the script in four days and the story itself is contained in less than 24 hours. The action takes place almost exclusively on a small sailboat with the 3 individuals. Polanski takes a normal and mundane setting and pulls the viewer in with a script that speaks more than the words on the page.

The tone is set at the beginning of the movie. Little is said as the couple drive down the road to the marina. The black and white picture speaks a note of simplicity in the tone but at the same time the sharp contrast of the pictures speaks to the other side of the film. The young boy steps into the story and it is immediately recognized that he is going to be the foil to Andrzej. An argument ensues between the two men; it seems playful, but underneath the surface the tension rises as they try to get the better of each other. The man decides to take this hitchhiker along for the ride and then on the boat trip itself, and so the stage is set. 

The two men are in competition with each other throughout the film as Andrezj tries to best the boy by showing off his sailing skills and exposing the boys lack of sailing knowledge while the boy tries to compensate by highlighting his outdoor skills. Polanski uses simple tasks throughout the movie that highlight their difference and their hatred of each other. He captures actions such as serving lunch in a way that pulls the viewer in to see just how far each man will go. Polanski uses every action, every event in the movie to contribute to and build the tension between the two men.

The woman, Krystyna, is expertly used to highlight the competition between the two men. Every action is done with her observing and while she says little, she is judging and evaluating each man as they vie for her attention and affection. 

The actors do an excellent job of bringing life to the script through subtle interaction and great movements throughout. The camera work and cinematography enlivens the setting and focuses the viewers attention.

Polanski does an excellent job of using very little to say a lot. He scrutinizes every moment of the film and captures the viewers interest by engaging them in the tensions of personalities. He investigates the tension of two men in a way that speaks universally to the clashing and tension of everyday life. Polanski demonstrates that man is by nature in competition but tries to mask it in the mundane tasks of life. He builds and creates tension like the tension of the boat: when a storm comes and pulls at the rope eventually the tension will be enough to snap the rope. He uses the element of nature to foreshadow the climax of the film and the quickly and subtly leaves the viewer wondering what will become of the characters lives. The movie does not end answering all the questions, just like all of life’s questions are not answered. The tension is subtle, the answers are unclear, but amidst the movie, the competition and tensions of life are personified in the two men but still exist after the credits roll.

A-

Content Advisory

 minimal language, brief side shadowed female nudity and back nudity.

Food for thought/discussion

1. The woman observes that both men are similar. How are they similar when they are so antagonistic of each other?

2. What comment is the movie making on the inherent nature of man?

3. The film focuses on tension and competition. What are areas of your life that are similar? How do you deal with them?