Andrzej Wajda | 1958 | Poland | 1h43m | Polish language with English subtitles
ASHES AND DIAMONDS closes Wajda’s loose war trilogy with a film about victory that feels like mourning. Set on the final day of World War II, it captures a country entering peace already divided by ideology.
The performance of Zbigniew Cybulski turned him into a generational icon, often compared to James Dean for his nervous intensity and dark glasses. The film’s stylized violence and symbolic imagery influenced filmmakers across Eastern Europe, helping establish Polish cinema as a major force on the world stage. Its final scenes became part of film-school canon, studied for their fusion of politics and poetry.
A young resistance fighter is ordered to assassinate a communist official, only to find himself drifting toward ordinary life. Romance, alcohol, and exhaustion blur the line between duty and desire. Wajda stages political transition as personal tragedy. Neon lights, ruined buildings, and Catholic symbolism collide in images that helped define postwar European cinema. The film asks what happens when history moves faster than the people trapped inside it.
Location: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five minute walk from Liberty Square metro.
How to find FOMO: Enter the Bazari via Atoneli St above Carrefour and take the stairs on your left behind the jewellery stand. One flight up. Video instructions here: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17933106294029235
FOMO Secret Cinema • Bazari Orbeliani, 0102 Tbilisi, Georgia