Kamil Nozynski is great. So is the cinematography, which at last makes Warsaw as striking as it should have been on screen, for a long time. Watch it for that, because the plot is boring. Why do we care about an endless cycle of foul-mouthed arguments, coke deals, beatings, and debt collection without any particular suspense, character development or major compelling outcome at stake? Maybe this impresses teenagers who think cocaine, hip hop, swear words and gangsters are so amazing, but most of us have seen this backdrop before, and want a compelling story. I base this comment on the first two episodes alone. It might be that plot and characterization will take several episodes to develop: if so, then that's too slow.
Update for episode three: Marta Malikowska is totally brilliant as Pazina. What an actress! Her glances, her gestures, her slight hints of smiles and frowns. This is masterful acting work; it is about understatement and subtlety but also detail and careful choices about when to be what. I want to see her in more because based on this performance, the sky is the limit.
The plot is getting slightly more interesting, but I'm still not impressed by the lack of story seemingly compensated for by the adolescent fascination with drugs, guns, swearing an hip hop. It's not like I'm a prude, I have lived in a place where there were needles on the street. This stuff is really not that impressive, "man". It's also far more prevalent in Los Angeles or London than it is Warsaw.
This depiction it rather gives a slight impression of a teenager trying too hard to look tough and thereby making a fool of himself.
Warsaw is one of the safest cities in the world, it is the greenest city in Europe, it is full of city bicycles and relatively friendly, prosperous people. Consequently this story is not "real" - it's "fake real" as many screen stories have been, starting with Film Noir.
That would be fine, if we cared about the hero's journey. Unfortunately, because his journey is interrupted by so many scenes that are pretext for fake tough guys to shout at each other, we really don't care about the hero's journey.
Episode five: The plot is now up to speed. First three episodes definitely could have been cut into one.
Update for episode three: Marta Malikowska is totally brilliant as Pazina. What an actress! Her glances, her gestures, her slight hints of smiles and frowns. This is masterful acting work; it is about understatement and subtlety but also detail and careful choices about when to be what. I want to see her in more because based on this performance, the sky is the limit.
The plot is getting slightly more interesting, but I'm still not impressed by the lack of story seemingly compensated for by the adolescent fascination with drugs, guns, swearing an hip hop. It's not like I'm a prude, I have lived in a place where there were needles on the street. This stuff is really not that impressive, "man". It's also far more prevalent in Los Angeles or London than it is Warsaw.
This depiction it rather gives a slight impression of a teenager trying too hard to look tough and thereby making a fool of himself.
Warsaw is one of the safest cities in the world, it is the greenest city in Europe, it is full of city bicycles and relatively friendly, prosperous people. Consequently this story is not "real" - it's "fake real" as many screen stories have been, starting with Film Noir.
That would be fine, if we cared about the hero's journey. Unfortunately, because his journey is interrupted by so many scenes that are pretext for fake tough guys to shout at each other, we really don't care about the hero's journey.
Episode five: The plot is now up to speed. First three episodes definitely could have been cut into one.