I know that I keep saying how this episode turns out to be a disappointment, but then I note how well done the particular segment is — and the same story applies here. We might expect what just happened to lead to an immediate confrontation.

But first we see Elżbieta sitting in the classroom as everyone else leaves, he head in her hands, grappling with the trauma relived. We then, over a violin soundtrack, witness Zofia in quiet contemplation.

We next see her walk the dark corridor of the school, likely later in the same night, no appreciative students in sight this time. She walks slowly, then see Elżbieta still there, smoking, deep in thought about the day.

As she approaches, Zofia confirms that Elżbieta had changed the geographic details of the story to give her cover. She says “you are alive. Every time I’ve seen a woman play with a gold chain, God …” she trails off, but then adds “but you’re alive.”

Elżbieta recalls how she survived, that the man who brought her to the house found refuge for her in a place by the river, to a house of moonshiners who later emigrated with her to America, one of the men now dead.

Zofia suggests that she came over just to see her face as she told the story. Elżbieta says she almost told the story when they met in America, then again she wanted to write or travel over. But even now, she wasn’t sure she would tell the story until she heard Zofia say that the life of the child mattered most.

Elżbieta then says something surprising — something I explored long ago in a post on my Montaigne blog — that people who rescue have special traits, as do those who need rescuing. Zofia says she supposed that is true — and Elżbieta replies that she has them.

She explains that it is well known that after the incident with her, she helped children throughout the war and many are alive because of her actions.

Zofia offers to drive Elżbieta to her hotel, but she says it is only 300 meters away. She then invites her to dinner.

These scenes set up a wonderful potential contradiction that I believe says so much about human potential — that none of us should be judged for our worst acts and we are all capable of redemption. We have to keep space open for people’s hearts to change and grow larger, than is the only way for light to push out darkness.

Unfortunately, I think Kieslowski liked the character of Zofia too much and, in scenes to come, decided to find a way to remove those shades of grey and to make her heroism more complete. That’s where my disappointment with the episode lies.

But the sum of this episode’s parts are still very moving and I find value in them, despite Kieslowski losing his narrative nerve.