Strike: June 15, 2007

This is the story of Agnieszka - the smallest crane operator in the world, an orphan who becomes a mother, a refugee who finds a home, an illiterate who writes history. On the one hand, the film deals with the paradigmatic aspect of history, that is, the recurring genesis of political movements. First come the dreamers, then the rebels, then the radicals and finally the politicians. And they remain. In the civil rights movements, the Green parties, the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution and so on… And it is often the women who start the ball rolling. It is always those who follow their calling; the secular saints - they are the people whose strength and vision empower countless others.

On the other hand, Strike is an uplifting story of personal courage. Agnieszka’s was a constant uphill struggle. She was an illiterate, an orphan, a poor and lonely soul who could just as easily have ended up as an alcoholic, a broken and embittered woman. That is what is so wonderful and enchanting about her life - and so inspiring: each and every one of us can change the world.

The life of this small but extraordinary woman is told in three decisive periods, beginning in 1961. Agnieszka is only 1,60 meters tall, nearly illiterate and yet manages to work her way up, with sheer diligence and discipline, from unskilled laborer to crane operator in the Gdansk shipyard. She accepts an invitation to receive an honor on International Woman’s Day with the same good nature as she does the assurance of the shipyard management that her job will never be in danger. Agnieszka draws her strength from her illegitimate son Krystian and the budding love she has for Kazimierz, a trombone playing worker in the shipyard. But her short-lived happiness threatens to come to abrupt end when the shipyard doctor callously informs her that she has cancer and will soon die Who will look after her son? Kazimierz wants to marry her now more than ever. He wants to be a good father to Krystian. The small family becomes the basis for each of them to support the other. But even before their borrowed time runs out, Kazimierz suddenly dies. Agnieszka quarrels with God and numbs herself with work.

The working conditions in the shipyard are disastrous and inhuman. When Agnieszka witnesses a fatal accident that was caused by insufficient safety measures, her unswerving trust in her employers begins to waver. The death of the worker is not classified as an accident so that the shipyard will not have to pay the widow a pension.

Agnieszka’s clear sense of justice mobilizes her. She helps the widow receive a pension by organizing public protests. Her personal commitment is not welcomed by the management. They try to silence her, offer her money, and even threaten her with refusing Krystian admittance to the university. In the face of all threats, Agnieszka persuades workers to initiate a solemn vigil to commemorate the unnecessary death of their co-workers.

It is around this time that she meets a young man who is working with others in the
underground for free labor unions. Agnieszka’s unconditional, straightforward nature
appeals to them. They are arrested almost simultaneously. Agnieszka spends only one night in jail but the authorities let her know that they will stop at nothing if she continues her opposition.

By the time the year 1978 rings in, Agnieszka has had several grueling years behind her. The slight advances in the struggle against an increasingly draconian regime cannot make up for the fact that Krystian has turned away from her.

Agnieszka is fired. It’s more than just losing a job. Up there on the crane with her coworkers and friends, with the magnificent view of the sea that is where her home is. Agnieszka refuses to eat humble pie and a miracle happens: thousands of shipyard workers go on strike on her behalf. Agnieszka sees that by spreading the strike to other large, state-run factories throughout Poland, they can mobilize the masses in the struggle for free labor unions. And again, it is she who is not fooled by the halfhearted concessions the powerful promise if the workers end the strike. She plays a decisive role in the inception of Solidarity and becomes the symbol and heart of the movement in Gdansk.