First, a warning: "Camera Buff" has nowhere near the stylized atmosphere of later Krzysztof Kieslowski films such as "Red," "Blue" and "The Double Life of Veronique." Kieslowski's first feature is about overcast mornings, gray walls and functionally lit rooms, and the musical score barely exists. The cast is almost as colorless. "Camera Buff" can be classified as a satire, but it's too bleak to have any real laughs. Filip Mosz is a vulnerable man with a dull factory job and a habit of hiccupping when nervous. His wife is about to give birth. To document his child's life, he splurges on a film camera. Then his boss hears of the purchase and hires him to shoot the plant's upcoming anniversary celebration -- even though Filip is an obvious novice (the film's Polish title strictly translates as "Amateur"). Complications escalate from there. His movie (which is not portrayed as anything impressive) is shown at a small festival and inspires further projects. But as his footage begins to show too much grim reality, the local Communist Party develops concerns and his boss presses him to make edits. Since the boss helps fund him, these objections can't be brushed off. Meanwhile, Filip's risky new obsession increasingly exasperates his wife and may ruin their relationship. The film is a bit overlong and has a slow middle, but the last act packs a powerful message. This includes an unexpectedly touching moment with a handicapped man seeing himself on television -- there is nothing so sentimental elsewhere in the story, and the emotional tug comes purely from the look in the actor's eyes. Beautiful work. And the final scene is perfection. Director (and Kieslowski colleague) Krzysztof Zanussi makes a short appearance as himself, inserting some philosophy about filmmaking ethics during a presumably unscripted symposium. The line between drama and documentary blurs here. "Camera Buff" takes aim at both Communist bureaucracy and the new-sensation hype that dependably drives the movie industry. "A film director once joked that he was a civil servant," a TV executive tells Filip. "Actually, he was right."

Remarkably insightful film by Kieslowski on film making, family and the affect art has on the world.