On Monday morning, I was granted an early viewing of Leave No Traces, a sobering drama directed by Jan P. Matuszynski. The Polish language film has been submitted to contend for Best International Film at the 94th Oscars.

First of all, it is apparent that 10:30 on a Monday is not the optimal time to watch Leave No Traces. Barely awake, I watched a man being brutally beaten to death under martial law. It was all too real, and certainly no comfort to my already overloaded psyche. These are the images we can no longer escape; now we see them rise as art.

Leave No Traces is based on the appalling true story of Grzegorz Przemyk - a teenager who became the fatal victim of Communist brutality in 1983. After Grzegorz' violent murder in the the first 30 minutes, the next two hours unravel the disaster of lies and corruption that followed. The story is shown in two sides: the humble few trying to fight for justice, and the all-powerful officials who sell their souls to hide the truth. Jurek, the crime's sole witness, must shoulder the leading role and face the full force of the militia despite his known innocence.

It's an uncomfortable film - but in today's uncomfortable world, you will feel right at home. While taking place in Communist Poland, 1983, the events and scandals could have been ripped from one of today's newspapers. They are shown here in painstaking, relentless detail. A beautiful slog, I'd say. It's shot on lovely, grainy 16mm film with great care taken to place us in the time period. Lingering, deliberate shots force us to simmer in the tension. The level of immersion is vast.

This is the film that already plays in my head, never-ending, as I read the news and generally watch the world go by. Do I need to see it on film? Do you? I can't say I'll enjoy it, just as I don't enjoy living in a society where these actions are all but normalised, but these are the works of art that need to be made and should be seen.

The premise is strong and the themes are evident, but is it a good film? The difficult part with cinema that takes itself as seriously as this is that the flaws in structure could also be viewed as intentional elements in the context of the director's intention. It is entirely plausible that Matuszynski's goals are to confuse, overwhelm, and suffocate. The audience is tormented by this grind of a journey as much as the story's helpless heroes.

Tomasz Ziętek does an incredible job with his portrayal of Jurek - a fictional character based off of perhaps several real-life figures. But as the story advances, his necessary voice of reason gets lost in the web of corruption. What starts as a personal account turns into a procedural and we're taken ever further from humanity and into the cold arms of the regime. But, again, this could be an intentional twist. He's buried in the narrative as truth is buried in the system. It's whats happening every day, right behind closed doors.

It's not for the light hearted, and I'd hesitate to recommend it to the casual viewer. For the already jaded among us it, it burns like salt in a never healing wound. If you want to face the real world, go see Leave No Trace on June 10. By the end, it just may leave you numb.

Are we meant to be entertained? Called to rise up in action? Or just feel crushed in the face of insurmountable odds? I certainly do not leave the cinema with an abundance of hope.

Watch the trailer for Leave No Traces below.