Jerzy Skolimowski's thesis film evokes the romantic cynicism of Poland's postwar lost generation, and was notable at the time for its punchy visual style and dialogue. Skolimowski cobbled together three of his short films to make Identification Marks: None, in which he plays a disaffected student on the eve of his national military service. The film follows his last few hours of liberty, encountering friends and lovers from his past (the renowned Polish actress Elzbieta Czyzewska plays the three women in his life). Skolimowski's protagonist is a student of ichthyology, a hollow man who hides genuine feeling and commitment behind narcissistic self-pity. His paralyzing lack of courage is underscored by the film's structure, a meandering flow of empty, disconnected episodes. The recurring image of the fishbowl is an apt symbol for a life of suspended animation. But Skolimowski's antihero is not alone in feeling apathetic; he belongs to a society of gray wanderers. For this reason, Skolimowski tempers his impoverishment with humor and pathos.