“Krychowiak: a step from the top” is the fourth documentary production by Papaya Films about the players who formed the core of the Polish National Team during the term of coach Adam Nawałka. Jan Dybus’s four-episode miniseries, commissioned by SkyShowtime, will be a big surprise for those who know the documentary he directed. “Cuba” dedicated to Jakub Błaszczykowski or films “Lewandowski – Unknown” Maciej Kowalczuk and “Happy” James Pool.
Because although the series about Grzegorz Krychowiak begins with shots of the player saying goodbye to the national team at the National Stadium in Warsaw, we quickly find out that this story has nothing to do with the classic sports biopicwhich is filled with shots from the pitch, archival materials from childhood and stories from family and colleagues from the football locker room.
And though Grzegorz Krychowiak in his sports life, as a defensive midfield player, his task was to focus primarily on breaking up opponents’ attacks, in Jan Dybus’ documentary he reveals the face of a real playmaker. He manages to convince the producers and director of the series to change the concept and make a travel filmin which we learn about the successes and pains of football life in the form of a conversation, accompanying the footballer and his family on an expedition to Mongolia and climbing Mount Everest.
Krychowiak is an excellent storyteller. He punctuates the author’s narrative with anecdotes and digressions, doing it with the charm of a pitch bully and his eternal, snow-white smile that we remember from his time in the national team. And his ability to shorten the distance makes even the choreographed scenes in which… talks to his teammates from the national team – Lewandowski and Szczęsnycome out much more naturally than the above-mentioned films in which they were the heroes.
It’s here too a place for serious conversations with his father and brothersfor which there was no time during his career, when the rhythm of the day was determined by the training regime, the league calendar and the referee’s whistle. As well as on a story about marriage with the French model and influencer Celia Jaunatwhere, apart from romantic moments, there is also space to show a bit of everyday life and the prose of life.
The whole thing sparkles with Krychowiak’s characteristic optimism and humor, which makes the episodes lasting less than thirty minutes pass in the blink of an eye.
The documentary by Jan Dybus, who gained his directorial skills by creating commercials and music videos, can be criticized sometimes the frames are too aesthetic and there is a tendency towards “commercial” shotsas well as dramatic shortcomings that make the expedition to Mount Everest look at times like a Sunday walk, and not like facing the highest peak in the world.
Just like on the pitch, sweat, pain, shortness of breath and emotions that come to the fore in stressful situations would be useful here. Nevertheless as a documentary feel good movie “Krychowiak: a step from the top” works great.
The premiere of the series takes place at the end of Grzegorz Krychowanie’s football career. However, this is not a filmic reconciliation with the pastrather symbolic closing of a certain stage. And at the same time opening another one. Because, as the title says, there is still a long way to the top…
Author: Rafał Pawłowski
7/10
“Krychowiak: a step from the top”dir. Jan Dybus, Poland 2025, premiere: November 27, 2025 on the SkyShowtime platform.