And although Jan Holoubek’s latest series meets all expectations in terms of production, it is the court drama taking place on land, in which the families of the victims fight for justice and the good name of the crew, that evokes the greatest emotions.
“Heweliusz” impresses with its implementation and technical aspects. It’s touching – thanks to the wonderful cast, each actress and actor of which has their own micro-story to weave. However, what comes to the fore are the fantastic Magdalena Różczka, Justyna Wasilewska and Konrad Eleryk.
The Jan Heweliusz ferry disaster was the largest disaster in the history of Polish civil shipping. The tragedy occurred in the morning of January 14, 1993; 55 people died in it, only nine survived. In his reportage “Heweliusz. The Mystery of the Baltic Disaster”, Adam Zadworny recalls the words of one of the survivors that when he looked around that night, the sea with bodies in life jackets reminded him of a cemetery on the Day of the Dead.
“Heweliusz” shows what happened on board – what actions were taken, but it was too late to save the ship. How they tried to compensate for the tilt, what could have contributed to the disaster, what was happening on the bridge, how terrified not only the crew was, but also the confused passengers. It shows the struggle for survival during a storm when the wind strength exceeded the Beaufort scale.
There is finally a highlight of the series that needs to be mentioned. A real recording was used in which Captain Andrzej Ułasiewicz says: “Mayday, mayday! Jan Heweliusz”; in the background there is an SOS signal in Morse code – three dots, three dashes, three dots. This short, subdued intro, without fireworks, introduces us to the story.
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Kasper Bajon, the author of the script for “Heweliusz” (and previously “Rojst”, “Wielka Woda” and “Project UFO”), conducts a non-linear narrative in the five-episode miniseries, taking us to various points in history – to the Jan Heweliusz ferry, to Captain Ułasiewicz’s apartment, to the courtroom, or to the port, where in one of the episodes gathered journalists are waiting for any information about the disaster.
The crew’s families and survivors are trying to cope with the events of January 14. Grieving Jolanta Ułasiewicz (Magdalena Różczka) tries to defend her husband’s good name and help her devastated daughter Agnieszka (Mia Goti); Aneta Kaczkowska (Justyna Wasilewska) faces the loss and tries to make ends meet financially. Witold Skirmuntt (Konrad Eleryk) struggles with memories of John Hevelius, and Piotr Binter (Michał Żurawski) helps explain the mystery of the disaster.
The series’ story of “Heweliusz” is inspired by the events of the night of January 13/14, 1993 and is heavily fictionalized. Similarly, its characters are not faithful reflections of real people (Andrzej and Jolanta Ułasiewicz) – they are rather carriers of motifs, fragments from the history of the crew. Witold Skirmuntt, as Konrad Eleryk said in an interview with Interia, is a combination of two characters.
Magdalena Różczka, Michalina Łabacz, Justyna Wasilewska play wives and mothers whose world has collapsed in an instant. Each actress has great, emotional material to play, and their roles will capture the hearts of many viewers. The mutual relationships of the two of them are exceptionally complicated – at times of mutual accusations, loss of loved ones and everyday challenges. The final scene from the first, second and third episodes, one of the most important scenes taking place in court, or the moving minutes of the last episode are memorable.
Apart from the script, production and music, the cast is one of the strongest points of “Heweliusz”. There is Borys Szyc as Andrzej Ułasiewicz, Jacek Koman as attorney Budzisz, Andrzej Konopka as captain Kubara, and the above-mentioned Michał Żurawski. Piotr Rogucki, Tomasz Schuchardt and Łukasz Lewandowski.
And of course, Konrad Eleryk, who is simply fantastic in “Heweliusz”. What he does on screen is amazing – he presents the entire range of his acting capabilities, creating a complex, traumatized character, also full of guilt. He changes the tone of his voice and is not afraid of emotional scenes. It’s great to watch.
“Heweliusz” is a refined, well-constructed story about catastrophe, loss, the fight for justice, the fight against the system, the powerlessness of the state, mistakes and how tragedy is not composed of one, but many elements. Produced on a grand scale, with attention to detail, but also to tell the story of Jan Heweliusz’s crew and passengers with dignity.
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