“Gierek”, the latest film directed by Michał Węgrzyn, has hit the screens of Polish cinemas. According to the producers, it presents a part of the modern, groundbreaking history of Poland, revealing the secrets of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party (KC PZPR). The plot of the film takes place in the years 1970 – 1982, i.e. from the moment when Edward Gierek becomes the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party, until the end of his internment.

The shooting began on July 27, 2020 and was taken in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Gdańsk, Katowice, Ustroń, Warsaw and Zawiercie.

The film is starred by Michał Koterski, who plays the title role, Rafał Zawierucha and Małgorzata Kożuchowska who plays the role of Gierek’s wife – Stanisława.

The producers are Janusz Iwanowski and Jolanta Owczarczyk from Global Studio. The script for the film was written by Michał Kalicki, Krzysztof Tyszowiecki and Rafał Woś. Michał Węgrzyn was cameraman, and his brother, Wojciech Węgrzyn, was a cinematographer. The film about Gierek is the third joint production of the Węgrzyn brothers for the Global Studio. Previously, they worked together on the films “Proceder” and “Krime Story. Love Story “.

Producer Janusz Iwanowski noticed that Edward Gierek was never given an opportunity to speak, he was never invited to any radio or television. The truth is that he was judged but according to the old rule of Roman law: audiatur et altera pars – the other side should be heard. Edward Gierek is dead, so producers talked to the witnesses to finally see the heads because usually the tails of the issue are presented. The film is not a hagiography, Gierek’s mistakes, reprehensible things that he did as a politician are shown. It is a real film about him as a human being, everyone can draw their own conclusions.

However, the first reviews are far from enthusiastic. “The film leaves no doubt as to the economic and moral evaluation of Gierek’s legacy”, writes film critic Bartosz Czartoryski and adds that Węgrzyn carries on an intrigue based on a battle between the good and the evil. The director’s attitude does not allow to deepen the content of the film. According to Czartoryski, the film was supposed to be a biography but in fact, is a hagiography.

Adrian Andrzejewski