Knife in the Water movie storyline. Well off Andrzej and Krystyna’s marriage is at a stage where familiarity breeds contempt, that contempt which is outwardly shown only behind closed doors and only when an incident of some sort sets off one or the other. While driving through the countryside on a Sunday on their way to the lake to embark on an overnight sailing excursion, they almost run over a young male hitchhiker.
Despite the antagonism between Andrzej and the hitchhiker, Andrzej offers him a ride as far as the marina. By the time they reach the lake, their antagonism has dissipated enough that Andrzej asks if he would like to join them on their sailing trip. The hitchhiker accepts despite knowing nothing about sailing. As the sailing trip progresses, the antagonism between the two men begins to increase again, fueled on both sides as each strives to be the alpha male.
Andrzej needs to show his superiority, while the hitchhiker needs to show that his young age and inexperience, not only with sailing but with life in general, do not make him any less of a man in comparison. Later incidents demonstrate that their relationship may have been different if Krystyna was not in the picture. The hitchhiker’s pocket knife, seemingly his most prized possession on his person, becomes a symbol of that power struggle between the two men. If the three emerge from their sailing trip alive, they may be forever changed by their encounter.
Knife in the Water (Polish: Nóż w Wodzie) is a 1962 Polish drama film co-written and directed by Roman Polanski, which was nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Polanski’s first feature film, it features three characters in a story of rivalry and sexual tension. Knife in the Water has garnered acclaim from film critics since its release, and is one of Polanski’s best-reviewed works.
Knife in the Water (1962)
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Starring: Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz, Roman Polanski, Anna Ciepielewska
Screenplay by: Roman Polanski, Jakub Goldberg, Jerzy Skolimowski
Production Design by: Boleslaw Kamykowski
Cinematography by: Jerzy Lipman
Film Editing by: Halina Prugar-Ketling
Makeup Department: Zdzislaw Papierz
Music by: Krzysztof T. Komeda
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Zespol Filmowy
Release Date: March 9, 1962
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