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SERIES / CRÍTICAS Reino Unido / Polonia

Crítica serie: The Thaw

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- La serie de Xawery Żuławski, una propuesta oscura, inteligente y cautivadora, es la primera serie original polaca de HBO MAX, que llega a todos los países donde esté disponible la plataforma

Crítica serie: The Thaw
Katarzyna Wajda en The Thaw

Este artículo está disponible en inglés.

In recent years, the production of Polish original series has grown significantly – including those by both local (player.pl) and global (AXN, Canal+ Poland, Netflix, HBO) streamers. Most of the shows are advertised as being well written, directed in more of a cinematic fashion than a televisual one, and with A-list stars in the cast. Still, for some reason, only productions with the HBO, and now HBO Max, stamp on them – Blinded by the Lights, The Pack and, most recently, Xawery Żuławski’s The Thaw, which has secured a 1 April global HBO Max release – deliver what they initially promised.

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The Thaw is set in the port city of Szczecin, which is located close to the German border, but the story could take place anywhere, which is also a rare feat for a local series production. Actually, “anywhere” would be limited to places with depressing, dark, wet weather, with the snow already melting and the sun not really getting around to waking up the flora and fauna yet. The pre-spring season is a perfect metaphor for the main protagonist, Katarzyna Zawieja (Katarzyna Wajda), a thirty-something chief inspector, who after her husband’s tragic death, which was ruled a suicide, has to piece her life back together, take care of her small child and solve a case. Katarzyna is in an emotional deepfreeze, and the only thing working properly is her mind. She is investigating the murder of a woman whose newborn baby has gone missing. It’s not your average case, because the victim was the daughter of an influential prosecutor. Different leads rear their heads and disappear, as Zawieja and her partner Trepa (Bartłomiej Kotschedoff) race against the clock, trying to find the baby alive. Zawieja, who is a single parent, now has to delegate her motherly duties to her father-in-law, also a former cop (Andrzej Grabowski), and her own mother (Ewa Skibińska), and this also raises a number of doubts for her.

The story feels engaging because the details of the investigation and of Zawieja’s life are scattered around carefully and intentionally, like breadcrumbs in the deep, dark woods. Marta Szymanek, who penned the story, avoids the clichéd elements of the crime-thriller genre, and deals in a smart and effective way with showing Zawieja’s professional and private lives, as they start to overlap and interfere with one another.

Katrzyna Wajda’s performance is superb: her character is tough and determined, but still relatable and likeable. She has great on-screen chemistry with Bartłomiej Kotschedoff, with his face and eyes often saying more than numerous lines of tedious dialogue would. Xawery Żuławski directs The Thaw with a firm hand, maintaining a good ratio between the thrilling and the emotional parts of the story. The tone of the series is serious, with some smirk-inducing dialogues and a sense of suppressed emotions, which is also expressed in the pale, ominous style of Tomasz Naumiuk’s cinematography. Subdued yet full of life-giving energy, which is powerful enough to melt any type of frozen ground, The Thaw is an engaging and entertaining watch.

The Thaw was produced by Bogumił Lipski for HBO Max, with executive producers Izabela Łopuch and Jonathan Young, and HBO Max executive producer Antony Root. The production benefited from the Polish financial incentives programme.

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(Traducción del inglés)

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