The Constant Factor

The Constant Factor follows Witold, a young Polish man who returns from military service and takes a job at a company that organises exhibitions. His idealism runs up against the realities around him: his supervisor is embezzling funds, and his refusal to join in costs him the sympathy of his co-workers. When his mother is hospitalised, a nurse tells him she is lying in the corridor because he has not paid a bribe. Against these pressures he tries to hold to a firm moral code, while also hoping to raise money for an expedition to the Himalayas, where his mountaineer father died.

Krzysztof Zanussi directed and wrote the film, which was released in 1980. It is the second of the five features listed among his directing credits, coming between Rola (1971) and Weekend Stories: The Hidden Treasure (2001). Tadeusz Bradecki plays Witold, with Zofia Mrozowska as his mother, Malgorzata Zajaczkowska as Grazyna, Witold Pyrkosz as Mariusz, Cezary Morawski as Stefan and Ewa Lejczak as Stefan's wife.

The film runs 87 minutes. It holds a rating of 7.2 out of 10 on IMDb from around 1,300 votes, and the same score on TMDB from a much smaller number of votes.