Nadzieja (Hope) is the last film in a trilogy representing not only the Dantesque concepts of heaven, hell and purgatory, but also the Christian ideals of love, faith and hope. As the film opens we witness a woman being killed in a road accident as she attempts to protect a child's life. She was the mother of the child, Franciszek. Franciszek's father, a renowned musician and conductor, still suffers from his bereavement fifteen years later, having given up his music to become a humble church organist. Franciszek's suicidal older brother, Michal, is currently serving a prison sentence for the murder of two men.
Set in contemporary Warszawa, Franciszek, an angelic-looking young man, has been following the underworld events in the life of Benedykt Weber, a senator, gallery owner and respected art dealer. He has compiled a complete dossier on all of Weber's dealings and knows everything about the man's life. One night Franciszek lies in wait in the same church where his father now plays, to capture with a borrowed videocamera, Weber's theft of a magnificent 15th century Venetian altarpiece called 'Angel with a Violin'. With this video and other supporting evidence Franciszek approaches Weber, making it clear to him that the dossier will be given to the police if he does not return the painting to the church. But instead of trying to extort money from him, Franciszek simply says that he wants to help him.
Weber quickly realises that Franciszek has the means to both destroy his valued reputation and to put him in prison if he does not comply with the boy's request. But already the painting has passed to another intermediary in the underworld of art theft and it will now be impossible to get it back, yet Franciszek is insistent that the painting be returned, despite several warnings being given in an attempt to frighten him off.
We begin to see that Franciszek has no sense of fear. During his freefall flights at the airfield he waits longer and longer before he opens his chute. It's as though in all he does he is protected by angels. But his girlfriend Klara, who loves and admires him even though he does not return her affection, becomes increasingly unable to bear the risks he now takes. There is also the question of whether forcing someone to undo a wrong is of any use if in reality the person simply fears the consequences of not making amends.
Mucha allows the story to unfold as a combination of thriller, moral tale, and metaphysical drama, recalling the films Piesiewicz made with Kieślowski. Likewise, there is a similar sense of cosmic order and chaos, with many elements seemingly mysteriously connected, yet unexplained. Whilst the film focuses on hope, it does so not in any conventionally uplifting way, but rather by an exploration of the capacity of the human spirit.
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