Costume series “Matilda” shows the emotional dilemmas of the characters, which are intertwined with breakthrough moments in the history of Poland after the January Uprising. It is a story about fighting injustice, maintaining honor and the most precious value, which is love.
In the series “Matylda” taking place in 1878 in the Lublin region, we meet a teenage girl Matylda Bilińska, a student of a Lublin school. Her rebellious nature, manifested by using the Polish language, reading banned literature and participating in conspiratorial women’s meetings, gets her into serious trouble. The owner of the boarding house, Madame Kretochkin, plans to hand over the untamed girl to the police. Matylda decides to escape and seeks refuge in Brzezino. She assumes that the property of her deceased relatives’ friends is located there. However, it turns out that her father, Tadeusz Biliński, is still alive, working in quarries in Siberia.
In Brzezin, the girl encounters the reluctance of Helena, the wife of Witold Różański, Matylda’s guardian, who wants to marry off her daughter Aleksandra. Różański is not the best host and has huge debts Maurycy Rubin. Meanwhile, Maurycy, noticing Matylda, plans to marry her off to his son Michał, which is accepted by Helena, who is counting on financial benefits from this.
The situation becomes more complicated when Tadeusz Biliński escapes from Siberia, and his pursuit involves not only Russian soldiers, but also Maurycy Rubin himself, his greatest enemy from the past. During her stay in Brzezin, Matylda meets a handsome widower, Dr. Boden, who seems to reciprocate her interest. However, the first night at the manor brings a mysterious warning from an unknown young man who advises the girl to escape because of the danger that threatens her.
What makes the series “Matilda” stand out from others? First of all, the script of the new costume saga includes problems such as women’s emancipation, collaboration with the partitioner, economic emigration and other dilemmas that Poles had to fight immediately after the January Uprising. The advantage that enriches “Matilda” are complex characters, often with difficult characters, different views and internal troubles, played by professionals. He fell into the shoes of Maurycy Rubin, a perfidious, soulless, insidious nouveau riche with unsatisfied ambition. Mirosław Haniszewski.
“My hero is wonderful, charming, wonderful, charming, charismatic, nice, empathetic, compassionate. He loves all women, animals, especially horses,” said Mirosław Haniszewski with great irony and a smile. “I try to play each character on many keys. However, there was a moment when Mirek Zbrojewicz came to me and said: “Listen, this cannot be defended.” However, I will defend this character until the end, and the viewers will judge the rest,” added the actor in interview with the AKPA agency.
She played the title role of the rebellious Matilda Maria Kowalska. “Matylda has a lot of Maria. I must say that Marysia gave this character a shape that was included in the script, but largely reflects her soul and emotions,” said director Krzysztof Lang. “What was a bond for me, and at the same time a portal, was a lot of stubbornness between me and Matylda. I have a lot of it in myself, which is probably why I am an actress,” added Maria Kowalska.
It is worth emphasizing that both Kowalska and Haniszewski were the stars of “The Quack” made for Netflix. Kowalska played the role of the title character’s daughter – Marysia Wilczur, while Haniszewski played the role of the villain – Dr. Jerzy Dobraniecki.