Sankcjonowanie władzy w Matni Romana Polańskiego

The purpose of this paper is a multidimensional analysis of the problem of power in the film Matnia by Roman Polański. Using the ups and downs of three heroes as a starting point of the deliberations, the author proves that the effectiveness of power is not only in physical strength and the will to dominate but rather in the readiness to be subordinated. This readiness is generated in the heroes by such factors as vast and unprotected space of the castle, making of one of the main heroes – George – a female character, the failure of the institution of marriage (evidence of George’s wife’s unfaithfulness appears in the film), the powerlessness of language, which makes opposing the oppressor difficult, and finally omnipotence of the affect understood as a key to the interpretation of postmodern power structures.