Directed by Robert Glinski, Strawman unfolds in the post-World War II Polish People’s Republic. The film particularly focuses on how the government started to target churches. In 1948, around 81 priests were imprisoned, and church properties were seized. The world in Strawman is built through archival footage, and it made sense considering the protagonist was a photographer with a keen eye for capturing everything he found exciting. Bronek Budny’s life drastically changed after he was offered a position in a department dedicated to finding proof of anti-state activities by clergies. A passionate photographer, Budny initially enjoyed the secrecy of his job and the challenges that came with it. He was assigned to follow priest Karol Wojtyla (who in 1978 came to be known to the world as Pope John Paul II) and find dirt on him. Budny almost became obsessed with the man to the point that he was ready to abandon his family.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Budny befriend Father Michal Socha?
While keeping an eye on Wojtyla’s every movement, Budny noticed that Father Michal Socha, Wojtyla’s PhD student, handed over cash to a man outside the church. Budny suspected that Socha was helping Wojtyla take care of business that was not directly linked to the church. They believed that the church was funding rebels, and if they did not, men like Budny cared only about framing the clergies in one way or another to imprison them. Budny believed that Michal Socha could potentially become their agent and help them find dirt on his thesis supervisor.
Socha was arrested and subjected to torture. Budny’s approach was that of a ‘good cop’. Instead of inducing fear, he offered Michal a helping hand. When Budny asked about the foreign currency transaction, Michal responded that his sister, Hania, was severely ill and needed financial help. Budny announced that he would be gentle with him and allow him to leave with just a warning. But before that, he asked Mocha to sign a document stating that he would not mention the discussion and the arrest to anyone outside. The next morning, Budny brought the priest a packet of medicine for his sister. While Michal was suspicious of Budny at first, he was surprised when the government spy mentioned that he did not expect anything in return. Budny won Michal’s trust by discussing literature and religion with him. They were about the same age, and Budny convinced Michal he was not like the others; he was open to new ideas and was genuinely interested in becoming his friend. Socha trusted him, which was something that he would later regret.
What led to the distance between Budny and Marta?
On the first day at his job, Budny fell in love with Marta. He met her at a church, which was ironic considering he was a communist who had dedicated himself to eradicating churches from Poland. Marta believed in religion and the freedom of expression; both were curbed in communist Poland. She attended underground theater shows, and Budny accompanied her. She was his way of entering spaces where he would have otherwise looked suspicious. What started as an intelligent way to get access to people and places turned into a budding romance as Budny gradually fell in love with Marta. He decided to marry her after she got pregnant. She suffered a miscarriage after she fell down the stairs—Budny was supposed to be there with her that day, but he was too busy at his job. While Marta mourned the loss of their child for months, Budny grew frustrated with her. After he forced himself on her, she attempted suicide, and she was later admitted to a mental institute. When she returned home after treatment, she discovered that she was pregnant. Marta felt hopeful again. The pain of the past was gradually washed away by the joy of the future. But as time passed by, Budny grew more and more distant towards his family.
After giving birth, Marta had to spend all her time taking care of their little one. She often begged Budny to stay home with them, but he was always busy with work. Even after knowing that his child was sick, Budny did not care to carry out his duties as a father. Their situation turned all the more bitter when Marta’s friend told her about her husband’s job. All the while, Marta believed that her husband was just a photographer working at an establishment, choosing to ignore the many signs of his loyalty to the State. Marta’s friend advised her to baptize her son, and she was all the more determined to consider it when Budny protested. Their son was baptized, and while Marta hoped he would cooperate, his decision to walk away was all the answer she needed. The next day, Marta packed all her belongings and left the apartment with her son.
What happened to Father Socha?
Budny’s desperation to find unpalatable information on Karol Wojtyla resulted in him orchestrating a blood test drive at a school where he suspected his illegitimate son studied. The test result proved him wrong, and they were back to square one. While propagating rumors was always an option, Budny wanted to stay true to himself, and he was confident that there surely was something or the other that the bishop was hiding. Their next plan was to create a rift between bishops Wyszynski and Wojtyla to the point that they would end up destroying one another. The State was ready to back Wyszynski to take down Wojtyla. But that was not enough; Budny decided they needed to hide surveillance devices in Wojtyla’s room, and to do so he required Father Socha’s help. He had drugged Father Socha and had a woman pose naked with him. Budny took photographs of him that day and used them later to blackmail him. Together, they had gone on a hike. Father Socha did not expect Budny to betray him the way he did. He looked at Budny in dismay, and even though Budny tried to explain how his friendship was pure, the priest did not believe a word he said. Budny handed him an official agreement asking him to sign it—permitting Budny to set up a surveillance device in the bishop’s room.
During Strawman’s ending, Michal felt helpless, and therefore, he jumped off the cliff. He refused to help the State, but he also knew the repercussions of it. Budny pushed him over the edge with scheming ways, and it was only after watching Father Socha’s lifeless body that Budny realized what he had done. Not that he regretted his decision, but he was disturbed by the consequences of it. Budny ended up kneeling before Christ and decided to confess. He regretted not being there for Marta and his son, and he blamed himself for it. He added that he was responsible for the death of a man. Assumably the man with Budny in the confessional was Karol Wojtyla. The person he had been chasing for months was hearing his side of the story without knowing him personally. Budny admitted that at times he wanted to pray, to believe, but he did not remember any prayers. The priest encouraged him to pray in his own words. But Budny feared that his lack of faith in God would always come in the way. The priest did not pass judgment; instead, he asked Budny to cry to his heart’s content. Budny confessed that he could not make himself cry, and to that, the priest replied that no matter all the wrongs he had committed, God would always forgive him. This angered Budny all the more. He wanted to hate the man behind the wooden frame; he wanted to dismiss religious teachings, yet he was not subjected to any hatred from the other end.
What does the final scene suggest?
Years had passed since the incident—Budny was strolling through a garden one morning when he came across his ex-wife and son. He was carrying his camera as usual, and his thick mustache was a new addition. We do not know if he continued to work for the State, perhaps he did. He might have drowned himself in work to not concentrate on all that was missing in his life. To not think about the death of the priest and all the vile things he did simply because he could. The sudden encounter with Marta might have brought back memories. He was initially hesitant in greeting her, but when her eyes met his, he did not have an option. He experienced the joy of spending a playful moment with his son, something that he missed out on. Maybe Marta and Budny overcame their differences, which was only possible if he decided to abandon his duty towards the State. Or perhaps they never interacted, and the brief minute he had spent with his toddler son would be his only memory of him. The ending of Strawman is left for the audience to interpret.
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