CAST: 3 polish people
DIRECTED BY: Roman Polanski
A Perfect Debut from an Imperfect Man
Although this film isn't in my movie bible, I felt that it was a noteworthy film to watch and write about. I am quite surprised/disappointed that it's not in the book because it really is such a beautifully made film. Knife in the Water is a Polish film, as well as Roman Polanski's directorial debut. The film only has three characters, a man, his young wife, and a young hitchhiker they decide to pick up on their way to the marina for a day of sailing. Now, I know what you're thinking...knife, hitchhiker, couple...sounds like a slasher flick to me. But of course, it's not. It starts off kind of slow, the middle-aged man doing a favor for the young lad, and decides to take him sailing with them. They sort of got off on the wrong foot from the beginning, considering the hitchhiker jumped in front of his car in order to assure a ride to somewhere. As the sailing adventure continues, tension begins to rise between the older gentleman and the hitchhiker. This tension reveals itself as a power struggle between the two over the affections of none other than the woman. At first, the woman appears naive to the entire thing but as the trip continues and reality sets in, she's a lot more conscious of the situation than you think.
Polanski makes it very obvious the traits that each individual possesses, and for good reason. As the film goes on, the characters evolve, or devolve as you will with the unexpected surprise to the viewer. The older man is introduced as arrogant, narcissistic, experienced and condescending especially towards the hitchhiker, but also at some times to his wife. He later becomes childish towards the hitchhiker, trying to stoop to his level but looking ridiculous in the process. The wife initially appears naive and innocent, but turns into someone who's rather smart and aware of her surroundings, and eventually aware of what she really wants. The hitchhiker is perceived as mocking, novice and childish towards the other man, but after a reality check, almost matures instantly.
One of the key scenes in this film is when the hitchhiker realizes he's worn his welcome and while trying to gather his things, cannot find his knife. The knife is used throughout the film as almost a symbolism for survival. The hitchhiker realizes the man has his knife in the pocket of his robe, and like a child, decides to tease him and not give it back, eventually throwing it in the water. To get even with the man, after a physical altercation, the hitchhiker falls into the water (after earlier claiming he cant swim) and is no where to be found. Once the couple jumps in to go looking for him and are convinced he has met his end, the man panics and decides to swim ashore to phone the police about the incident. Once the man leaves, the hitchhiker reveals to the woman that he was hiding behind a buoy and that he is indeed fine. She is not surprised by this and is quite happy because it served her husband right. To make a long story short, she ends up kissing the hitchhiker in a heat of passion, decides to drop him off out of sight of the dock but still on land, and once she reaches her husband there is silence until they discuss if they will go to the police or not. When she tries to convince the husband that the hitchhiker is alive and that she cheated on him, the husbands arrogance returns with his disbelief that such a thing would occur, convinced she's telling a lie.
At first, the film might appear to have no direction, and the underlying theme is not immediately pronounced, but as you watch it truly becomes a remarkable film, especially for a directorial debut of one of the greatest Directors of this time. Regardless of Polanski's personal life, a man's art should stand independently of his un-orthodox life choices and be judged without any bias. This is a great tale of the struggle of human interaction, told in the most simplest of forms.
