Austeria (1983)

Watch or Download Austeria 1983 with English Русский subtitles. Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Starring: Franciszek Pieczka, Wojciech Pszoniak, Jan Szurmiej,

Jerzy Kawalerowicz's Austeria is a profound and haunting chamber drama, a eulogy for a world on the brink of extinction. Set in August 1914, the film unfolds almost in real-time within the claustrophobic confines of a small inn (austeria) perched on the border of the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires. As the Great War erupts, the innkeeper, an aging Jew named Tag, reluctantly opens his doors to a desperate and diverse group of refugees fleeing the advancing Cossacks.

What follows is not a film of battlefields, but of existential siege. The inn becomes a microcosm of a fading Eastern European society—Orthodox Jews, assimilated Jews, Polish cavalrymen, and Gypsy musicians are forced together, their cultural and religious differences colliding within the cramped quarters. Through long, meditative takes and a masterful use of sound, Kawalerowicz immerses the viewer in this twilight world. Conversations revolve around faith, mortality, and the fragile nature of community, all underscored by the ever-present threat beyond the walls.

More than a war film, Austeria is a deeply philosophical and poetic meditation on the end of an era. The black-and-white cinematography paints a stark, beautiful portrait of humanity in crisis, where moments of shared music, ritual, and simple human kindness flicker like candles against the overwhelming darkness. It is a demanding yet deeply rewarding cinematic experience, a testament to a culture that would soon be irrevocably scarred by the coming century. A landmark of Polish cinema, Austeria is an essential, somber, and unforgettable journey.