Cinema of moral anxiety

The cinema of moral anxiety, Polish: Kino moralnego niepokoju, was a short-lived (1976–1981) but influential movement in the history of the cinema of Poland.[1] The term was also translated as "cinema of moral unrest", "cinema of moral concern", "cinema of moral dissent".[2] Films of this movement portrayed the crisis of the regime in Communist Poland, usually in the setting of a provincial town. The development of the movement was abruptly stopped by the introduction of the martial law in Poland in 1981, and when it was lifted, the country was overwhelmed with powerful political and social processes which had eventually led to the fall of Communism in the country and disappearance of the addressed social issues.[1]

In addition, Jerzy Płażewski suggested the term "kino autentyzmu etosu" (cinema of ethos authenticity),[3] while Mariola Jankun-Dopartowa suggested "kino nieufności" (Cinema of Distrust).[4]