Dir. Jerzy Skolimowski. 2010, 83 mins.

35mm print courtesy of the Polish Film Academy. With Vincent Gallo, Emmanuelle Seigner. Skolimowski’s new film follows a Taliban terrorist who is captured, tortured, and then escapes into the frozen Polish wilderness. Vincent Gallo’s mute performance as the man on the run won him the best actor award at the Venice Film Festival. Essential Killing is a deliberately ambiguous film that will leave you puzzling over its political and existential meanings.

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