Paris, 1835. Producing masterpiece after masterpiece, a young Fryderyk Chopin is at the height of his career. Life and soul of soirées, diva of decadent nights, every gaze and sigh in the ornate salons of the aristocracy is directed at him. Yet behind his roguish airs lies a darker reality: his lungs have begun to bleed, conscious that Death lurks just around the corner, it is only through composing he is able to stave off its spectral presence. Polish filmmaker Michał Kwieciński, producer of Andrzej Wajda’s Oscar-nominated Katyn, presents a grounded and insightful portrayal of the genius and passion that shaped this volatile piano virtuoso, a rock star for the Romantic era. The lavish art direction of one of Europe’s major cinematic productions of the year shines in these vivid vignettes, capturing the dual nature of its conflicted subject: volcanic in temperament yet fearful of rejection at heart, perhaps his greatest fear is the inevitable end to the revelry.