Through and Through Blu-ray Review

Radiance Films presents Through and Through on Blu-ray with a clean MPEG-4 AVC 1080p encode in the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio on a BD-50, Region Free. The film was restored in 2K by Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych under the supervision of cinematographer Bogdan Dziworski at reKINO and DI Factory; sound was restored by Aeroplan Studios. The restoration was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Polish Film Institute. Delivered as a digital file, the presentation honors the intended framing and grayscale, with HDR/Dolby Vision not applicable.

Image quality is striking: contrast is beautifully judged, reinforcing the often nightmarish, shrouded compositions. Fine detail is consistently strong—extreme close-ups reveal excellent textures in faces, clothing, and surfaces—yielding natural sharpness without signs of over-processing. Despite minimalist lighting, there is convincing depth, especially in wider interior setups. Black levels are deep and stable; shadow detail is largely retained, with only occasional, intentional-looking loss in the very darkest areas. Grain resolves tightly and organically throughout, with only a few minor blemishes visible. The encode is commendably clean, showing no banding, macroblocking, or intrusive digital noise. Flesh tones read accurate within the grayscale, with no tonal drift or blown highlights.

Through and Through’s audio is presented in the original Polish mono in lossless form, appearing as either DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono) or LPCM 1.0 (Mono), with optional English subtitles. Dialogue reproduction is clean, naturally textured, and well-prioritized, remaining firmly centered without distortion or harsh peaks. Dynamics are solid for a mono track, maintaining a stable overall balance and intelligibility at varied listening levels. There is no dedicated height, surround, or low-frequency effects channel engagement.

The mix leans heavily on atmosphere: layered, often hallucinatory sound design and subtle ambient environmental textures permeate the soundscape, creating an unsettling aural presence that reads clearly even within the mono limitation. Fine-grained effects are articulated with unexpectedly good clarity, and background details register without masking the spoken elements. The result is a faithful, lossless mono presentation that emphasizes clarity, balance, and the film’s distinctive sonic mood.

A well-curated extras suite balances scholarly context, archival discovery, and premium presentation. The new 2K restoration with uncompressed mono reflects the film’s austere craft, while a substantial interview and three early shorts expand on method, theme, and Polish reception. Packaging is thoughtfully executed and collector-focused without clutter.

Extras included in this disc:

• New 2K Restoration: Supervised by Bogdan Dziworski.
• Uncompressed Mono PCM Audio: Clean, faithful track.
• Interview with Michał Oleszczyk: Context on film, director, reception.
• Everyone Gets What They Don’t Need: Tragic swimmer study from the 1960s.
• Brothers: Intimate portrait of sibling gymnasts.
• Don’t Cry: Recruits savor last civilian hours.
• Reversible Sleeve: Original/new art by Time Tomorrow.
• Booklet by Ela Bittencourt: New critical essay.
• Packaging: Full-height Scanavo, removable OBI.
• Limited Edition: 3,000-copy run.

Through and Through emerges as an austere, experimental portrait of desperation in just-pre–World War II Poland, framing a kitchen-sink premise in rigorously avant-garde form. Jan (Franciszek Trzeciak) and Maria (Anna Nieborowska) scrape by until scarcity nudges them from petty crime toward murder, yet the film resists thriller mechanics. Grzegorz Królikiewicz privileges abstraction over conventional drama: shots prolong beyond comfort, angles distort, and dialogue often arrives in isolated, atomized fragments that render characters closer to symbols than fully mediated subjects. The result is a Kafka-esque dislocation—akin at times to the splintered logic of The Trial—where framing, editing, and sound feel intentionally “disassembled” to agitate the viewer. At just over an hour, it plays like a concept rigorously deconstructed rather than a plot traditionally developed.

Technically, the approach is exacting and unyielding. Stark black-and-white photography imposes a haunted, airless atmosphere, while the sound design trades in discord, echo, and abrupt acoustic shifts that unsettle more than they guide. Emotional beats are submerged beneath formal experimentation, and the cumulative effect is cold, distancing, and deliberately disorienting—qualities that will read as thematically rich to some and alienating to others. The final act introduces more interior exposition and self-reflexive detours, softening narrative momentum, yet the film’s overall force remains in its rigorous destabilization of image and sound. Distinctive, severe, and purposefully abrasive, Through and Through stands as a challenging, provocative outlier in Polish cinema of its era.

Through and Through lands as a formally striking, emotionally austere work—more notable for rigorous style than narrative pull. Its jagged construction and deliberate distance situate it within Eastern European avant-garde traditions, which will engage viewers drawn to experimental Polish cinema of the 1970s while likely challenging broader audiences. Framed as an early entry in Królikiewicz’s filmography, the feature’s formal bravura is the principal draw, rewarding those receptive to abstraction and tonal severity.

On disc, the presentation is a standout. Radiance Films’ Blu-ray delivers an excellent restoration with first-rate technical polish, paired with two on-disc supplements that meaningfully contextualize the film’s approach and era. The insert booklet provides substantive writing that deepens appreciation of the director’s early methodology and the cultural milieu. Issued as a limited edition and scheduled for Blu-ray release on August 19, 2025, this package holds clear value for collectors of Polish cinema and adventurous catalog titles. Overall, the release is easy to endorse on technical and archival grounds, with the caveat that the film’s intentionally abrasive form is best suited to viewers prepared for its uncompromising design.