Even though many years after the premiere, this social diagnosis still partly holds true, not everything in Constans is convincing. The protagonist's behaviour, which is sometimes naïve and completely unrealistic (for instance, when he is wondering why people accept bribes), raises the biggest doubts. Perhaps his character did not manage to be animated precisely because Witold does not evolve and remains constant, as if he resisted the world's complications. His self-assurance about his deeds makes him a somewhat dogmatic character, and therefore less interesting one than, for example, Franciszek from Iluminacja. Even Zanussi noticed with time that the man puts principles above people and is thus a potential doctrinaire. He tried to reconstruct this protagonist by continuing his life story in the 2009 film Rewizyta (Revisited).
Constans has its weaker, less authentic moments, however they appear next to some excellent scenes. The director had a very fruitful collaboration with Wojciech Kilar (soundtrack) and Sławomir Idziak (cinematography), who helped him create a specific atmosphere in the film. The structure of the film is quite loose, while Zanussi dexterously moves from naturalism (for instance, when the dying mother voraciously eats a piece of bread) to metaphysics (the recurring image of mountains, which recall the protagonist's unfulfilled dreams) and irony (a slightly humorous depiction of Witold's work colleagues, among whom Juliusz Machulski appeared in a cameo). All pros and cons of the director's film style converge in Constans, as if in a lens – it is undoubtedly one of the most “Zanussi” of Zanussi's films.
Constans (The Constant Factor), Poland 1980. Directed by Krzysztof Zanussi. Screenplay: Krzysztof Zanussi. Cinematography: Sławomir Idziak. Score: Wojciech Kilar. Scenography: Tadeusz Wybult. Cast: Tadeusz Bradecki (Witold), Zofia Mrozowska (Witold's mother), Małgorzata Zajączkowska (Grażyna, the nurse), Cezary Morawski (Stefan), Witold Pyrkosz (Mariusz), Jan Jurewicz (Włodek), Juliusz Machulski (colleague), Edward Żebrowski (Mathematics Professor), and others. Production: Tor Film Production. Colour, 87 minutes.
Author: Robert Birkholc, March 2014, transl. Ania Micińska, November, 2015.