Laced with a biting irony (Roger Ebert called the film Kieślowski’s “anti-comedy"), WHITE is a darkly playful tale of equality and justice. Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a hapless hairdresser living in France, returns to his native Poland penniless and humiliated after he loses everything when his wife Dominique (Julie Delpy) divorces him. Once home, he begins plotting a complex and absurd plan to regain his dignity. An interesting film to consider in 2025, when discourse about masculinity abounds (The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw deemed it “an opera of male agony”), WHITE is a sardonic study of power, control, and destiny.

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Awards & Nominations

Winner - Silver Bear, Berlin Film Festival
Nominee - Golden Bear, Berlin Film Festival

Chicago European Union Film Festival Spotlight: Poland | It is our pleasure, with the generous support of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago, to present two weeks of the best new and classic films from Poland and Polish filmmakers. Join us March 7–20, as we present 20 films, including 13 new titles—and 12 Chicago premieres—alongside classics from filmmakers including Krzysztof Kieślowski, Agnieszka Holland, and Andrzej Wajda. Meet filmmakers visiting us from Poland, and enjoy taste from the country through special events and at concessions.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu