Hidden Presence

Kieslowski’s documentaries were mainly made in the1960s and1970s. During this period of time, Direct Cinema and Cinema Verite emerged and started to develop. The concept of aesthetics of "Sidelines", which was praised by Direct Cinema, and the concept of aesthetics of "Presence", which was stressed by Cinema Verite, started to gain attention in the documentary industry at this period of time. Kieslowski’s documentaries were inevitably influenced by these two aesthetic concepts. however, his documentaries had their own unique characteristics. That is, Kieslowski’s documentaries stressed the concept of "the Hidden Presence", which was influenced by existential literature, Polish black films, and technical factors. Limiting the performance, the concept first and the authenticity of shooting object guaranteed that Kieslowski’s documentaries were non-fictional and thus legitimate as documentary per se. In particular, the ideas which Kieslowski’s documentaries attempted to convey were affected by political factors. That is, his documentaries focused on political irony initially and turned to humanistic concerns at the later stage.