Pavel Slaby

Martin is probably a little cracked in the head. Why else would he pick up a suspicious-looking hitchhiker when he's been hearing about a dangerous escaped convict on the radio? It's not until the man is already in his car that he realizes that he could have a dangerous person on board. What's more, he can't seem to shake his now unwelcome hitchhiker. Eventually, he leaves his car behind altogether and becomes a hitchhiker himself. (Allmovie)

The film is based on the musical recording of the famous opera by Modest Mussorgsky about the tragic events surrounding the ruling of the Russian tsar Boris in the early 17th century. Zulawski made the film just as we would be watching the theatrical performance. (imdb)