Munk further refines the documentary/fiction hybridizations of his earlier work with this Rashomon–like tale of the death of a railwayman, told in a difficult–to–forget merging of socialist realism and film noir. An elderly railway engineer is killed by a speeding train; the authorities investigate the accident, but each witness who testifies offers a different version of what happened. Proud, bitter, helpful, contemptuous, passed over, phased out, spiteful, heroic: everyone has a different vision of the engineer, and of how he lived his life-and ended it-in their new socialist world. The deep–focus black–and–white cinematography by Romuald Kropat owes more to the realm of film noir than socialist realism, as does the film's undercurrent of paranoia and fear in the face of a destiny far beyond one person's control. Perversely, Munk's nonfictional elements solidify that feeling, dwelling on images of behemoth trains rushing at full speed through a dark night, locked into their destination, men clinging to the sides.