SummaryThis masterwork by Krzysztof Kieślowski is one of the twentieth century’s greatest achievements in visual storytelling. Originally made for Polish television, Dekalog focuses on the residents of a housing complex in late-Communist Poland, whose lives become subtly intertwined as they face emotional dilemmas that are at once deeply personal and un... Read More
Directed By:Krzysztof Kieslowski
Written By:Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Dekalog (1988)
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
These despairing, ambiguous pieces are always emotionally unsettling, and that is due in part to Kieslowski's complete assurance as a director. His spare, minimal visual preferences dominate each episode. The camera work is fluid and precise, and the films are so rich they seem to be feature-length though they're not.
100
The great, unifying success across all ten shorts is Kieślowski’s representation of Poland, which is political, social, and personal all at once. Each movie is its own experiential encounter.
User score
Generally Favorable
76% Positive
185 Ratings
185 Ratings
6% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
18% Negative
43 Ratings
43 Ratings
Jan 26, 2026
10
The series shows moral problems faced in daily life. It does not give clear answers but makes the viewer think about right and wrong. The characters feel real, and their emotions are shown in a quiet and realistic **** acting is strong, and the music creates a serious and emotional mood. Some episodes are sad and disturbing, but they are very meaningful.
Oct 31, 2024
10
For me it is simply breathtaking what a tv series the dekalog is, I know it is classified as a movie but it really is a series consisting of 10 episodes. By far THE GOAT, no questions, THE GREATEST TV SHOW THAT WILL EVER GRACE THIS PLANET, please watch it. Sopranos does not scratch it, not the wire game of thrones or any **** thatyou might think is good like breaking bad, dexter, the boys, band of brothers, mad men. Utter **** when compared to this and utter **** in general except for band of brothers. How is it possible that a tv show with actors you have never heard of can get compared with great films. Usually if you know films you have an understanding that whatever the best tv show oat is, for an example the wire, it probably is worse than catch me if you can, a movie that doesn't come close to top 100. But oh my **** god, Ksistof you **** did it. I AM AN ATHEIST FOR **** SAKE, THIS SERIES IS CENTERED AROUND CHRISTIANITY, the dekalog will changeyour life if you understand it. The way it manages to critique society is unbelivable and I can only compare it to se7en, my favorite movie. But my god, is it a peice of art. If you are into stories or characters go ahead and watch **** fiction that you can binge and be happy and talk to your friends about who killed who, who kissed who or who betrayed who, but if you want to learn something about life and experience an art form that will change your life try to understamd the decalogue and watch THE GOAT of TV the dekalog. Please. When you include fiction and that means films, movies, tv shows and books, dekalog is top 10 for me, a masterpiece.
100
The profound pleasures they offer derive not only from their deft metaphysical playfulness but also from their storytelling genius.
100
Kieslowski's beautiful, sad and clear-eyed The Decalogue -- an overwhelming psychological and spiritual epic for our times -- faces the darkness, sends out a song against the storm.
100
Dekalog certainly lives up to its reputation as a mind-altering masterpiece. You marvel at the precision of its filmmaking even as it spreads an atmosphere of moral unease.
100
Being a pessimist at heart, Kieslowski, who cowrote all 10 scripts, unfolds a variety of human weaknesses, shows how difficult it is to conform to one commandment, let alone 10, and considers human frailty with sympathy but little hope.
100
The biblical root of the [Dekalog] may suggest didacticism on its face, but whatever morals are advanced are decidedly ambivalent.
May 1, 2021
10
The best 10 hours you will spend at movies and this Series. Ten commandments. 10 episodes. 10 hours. When it first aired on Polish television in 1989, decades before long-form filmmaking would come to be regarded as the last bastion of auteurism, Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Dekalog” was one of the most immense undertakings the cinema had ever seen. There had been longer works, and more lavishly financed ones — even when accounting for inflation, “Dekalog” would qualify as a micro-budget project — but the existential girth of Kieślowski’s magnum opus immediately made it feel like a monolith among molehills.
Dec 5, 2019
10
Touching and human, Dekalog is a trip inside morality and common people's dilemes. Doesn't matter social class, culture or context, it's hard not to indentificate yourself or at least feel dismayed or thinkfull and for that reason, series is timeless too.
Aug 4, 2019
10
The greatest series of short films ever made, by one of the masters of cinema and almost certainly the greatest director of the 90s. An exploration into characters with intense moral and ethical dilemmas, that allows one to reflect on the intricacies and nuances of the human spirit. Dekalog is considered one of the most acclaimed and important works of art in recent history, yet I believe it deserves further adoration. This is extraordinary filmmaking, 10 of the best films you will ever watch.
Jan 24, 2026
0
nudneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Production Company:
- Telewizja Polska (TVP)
- Zespol Filmowy "Tor"
- Sender Freies Berlin (SFB)
Release Date:Mar 22, 1996
Duration:9 h 32 m
Rating:TV-MA
Awards
Venice Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Bodil Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
