Knife in the water / Nóż w wodzie (Poland, 1962)

directed by Roman Polanski, drama, 101 min, eng subtitles
written by Roman Polanski and Jerzy Skolimowski
with Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz

Andrzej and his wife decide to spend a day on their yacht. On the way they take a hitchhiker and the husband invites the young man to join them. Soon, the two men begin to compete for the attention of the young woman who seems to be entertained by this rivalry. What follows is quite a claustrophobic sailing trip during which the tension builds up until a fight between the two men causes serious consequences and shows the characters for what they really are.

This debut feature by Roman Polanski was critically acclaimed and won an unprecedented success for a first film of a director of Eastern Europe. A sharply cut scenario accompanied by remarkable jazz music by Krzysztof Komeda.

Awards:
Mostra de Venezia 1962 : Prix FIPRESCI
Bucharest Film Festival 1963 (Golden Wolf)
Oscars 1963 : Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film