Political thriller is perhaps one of my favourite genre in film, because even though every country tackles it differently, and it often does not translate across borders effectively, I find that to be the exact charm, as it is a very good way to get a glimpse at how the people there see their own government, and by extension, their overall worldview. Of course, it is not a complete picture, and the narrative is often from the side of the intelligentsia, but like stereotypes, there is a sense of truth within, and it does help to understand a particular culture. The Hater is Poland's attempt at the genre, and it is probably the most current and up-to-date look at it.
Directed by Jan Komasa, who just released the Oscar-nominated Corpus Christi last year, The Hater is one of the first movies that I watched to explore the role of social media in politics. Of course, the movie does not provide a complete breakdown of the methods, and details can still be murky, but even the most rudimentary exploration shows how easily one can sway the public's opinion from the shadows, without being discovered and held accountable. It is an especially timely release too, because the world is truly on the precipice, and one of the most important election is about to occur. Poland is probably the best place to look to for an inside look too, because of its ability to straddle between the East and West due to its past history, and the proximity to one of the countries that the U.S. intelligence continues to accuse of foreign influence into its politics.
Like all Polish films, the deliberate pace can be an issue, and despite being a thriller, the movie definitely takes its time. About 80% of the movie is the setup, and while the director tries to keep the audience engaged with pop up of text messages, computer animated video game scenes that Poland is actually quite advanced at, and a sound track and mix that can clash with the images on screen and creates even more tension at times, I still lose focus at different points of the movie, and I even had to walk away a couple of times. Luckily, the climax and subsequent ending is worth the wait, as there is a sense of catharsis, but also brings up even more questions and issues to explore, and the movie, as a result, leaves quite the impact on the audience. While there are plotholes that seems to force the issue and they do add up, the ending manages to mask all the inadequacies. In fact, I can talk about the ending for days, because there is just so much to unpack.
Komasa also has a great eye for talent too, because like with Bartosz Bielenia in Corpus Christi, Maciej Musialowski is a great casting choice. In order to survive and then thrive in the dark arts of political disinformation, the protagonist is essentially a psychopath. He has the charisma for people to trust him, but there is always a sinister undertone with him that borders on creepiness. Somehow though, he hides it rather well in front of other characters, and as a result, only the audience can sense the danger he evokes. Add to the few instances of genuine emotions he displays, he becomes a very dynamic character that the audience cannot help but be drawn to, despite a general dislike for how despicable he truly is. It is a very difficult role to play, but Musialowski manages to completely carry the movie. Like in Corpus Christi, Komasa coaxed another great performance, and that is a credit to him too.
Polish films continues to be a mystery to me. After Corpus Christi, which I raved, I have to hear about the hilariously terrible reviews of 365 days. Honestly, that does not surprise me, because that is often how my experiences with Polish films goes.
That said, Polish films is interesting enough to not be just written off, and in order to avoid the messes, it may be best to go with directors. Of course, there are the world renown Krzysztof Kieślowski and Paweł Pawlikowski, and Jan Komasa is another name to watch. It is often rare for a director to have two great movies released in back-to-back years, but The Hater is a very worthy follow-up to Corpus Christi. I wavered between 6.75 to 7.5, because this one takes a lot of patience to get to the destination, and there are a number of plotholes that diminishes the experience. Fortunately, there are a lot of things the movie did right, and add to the fact that it is an important and timely topic, along with one of the best climax I have seen in years, a great lead performance and lots of details to unpack, I will settle it as a 7/10 for now. I believe it is on Netflix now, so if people have the time, I highly recommend it. It will definitely challenge the audience.
Edit: After some time to reflect, I have dropped this down to 6.25. There is one plothole that just cannot be rationalized, and it actually torpedoes the whole movie for me now. I still think this is an interesting movie, and the topic it brings forth are timely and important, but I now see that there are just too many problems with the script, and even a very slick director and production team cannot save it.
