Growing up in Poland during the Communist rule was very difficult, especially for athletes. Over the years up until the Berlin wall fell, if they wanted to compete at the highest level, defection was the only option. With the Olympics still being considered amateur level, the status as the best in the world totally surrounded what was considered professional status. The escape of athletes in the eighties became a popular act and their governments did whatever they could to prevent this. This narrative is based on one character who represents the difficulty it took for these special people who had to endure the obstacles communism placed on the citizens of the east.
One of those boxer’s Edwin (Michal Zurawski), wanted to be a champion and have a chance to compete in the Olympics. His brother Czesiek (Eryk Lubos) would train him to be the best and no one could beat him. When Edwin’s chance to be in the Olympics came, he was offered one option to lose, and he had to make that performance believable or his family, wife (Magdalena Walach) and his son Jędrzej (Fabian Malkiewicz) was at risk.
Years later Jędrzej (Eryk Kulm), began walking in his father’s footsteps. Now wanting to be a boxer, Jedrzej needed someone to train him, so he turned to his uncle Czesiek. His career began to blossom as he moved up the Polish rankings. As his popularity grew his opportunities to meet people also increased and this is when he met his future wife Kasia (Adrianna Chlebicka). She was studying and wanting to go to the university, but her possibilities were limited in Poland. With Jedrzej’s passion to go pro and to fight in England where all the world champions were, connecting with Kasia, who also wanted to go where she could have a better chance at higher education, was the sign they needed. Always concerned with the same mistakes as his father, when the chance arose, he would figure out a way to get Kasia and himself out of Poland.
As his career went on, he became a contender, but his chances at the world championships would not happen unless he escaped to the west. When his possibility to compete in the Olympics finally came, he now had an opportunity to defect. This is where he meets many different characters who represent boxing and its elite chances to make it big.
Director and writer Mitja Okorn does an excellent job displaying what athletes and the people under communist rule had to endure. The difficulties they went through and how hard it was to reach the top. Sometimes when they did get the help, they thought they needed their life was in debt and real protection wasn’t really there for them. This film was originally filmed in Polish, but was dubbed in English for Netflix and makes it much easier for those who do not speak Polish. The performance by the cast was realistic but sometimes a little over the top in some scenes.
This story represents the many athletes who left Poland in the 1980s to establish a better life in the east getting away from the communist countries. Things changed drastically when the communist regime fell in the early nineties. This interesting fun story gives you the chance to experience what these people had to endure during these tough times. 
Final Comment: I based my grade on the wonderfully detailed script that demonstrated the experiences of these athletes.
Stars 3 out of 5
Additional Film Information
Cast: Eryk Kulm, Adrianna Chlebickal, Eryk Lubos, Waleria Gorobets, and Adam Woronowicz.
Directed and written by: Mitja Okorn
Genre: Sport, Drama, foreign, Boxing, and Polish
MPAA Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 2 hours and 30 Minutes.
Release Date: September 11, 2024
Distributed By: Netflix
Release In: Streaming on Netflix