There are a lot of Philip Laczynskis. But the problems he is about to face are not something that anyone can handle, and it is not something that can be handled without breaking. that’s good I’m proudThe main character, played by Ignacy Rhys, was made of very sturdy materials at the time. At least, if he can party as hard as he has drugs flowing through his veins, he’s bound to be.
Karol Klementewicz’s Warsaw-set series begins in a hallway filled with men taking off their clothes, then quickly descends into a blur of flashing lights and pulsating spaces—the kind of clubs you immediately associate with Berlin.
This is not the Poland that Polish lawmakers want you to know, but LGBTQ people are present in every corner of life, from your local gym to the shopping mall to the orgy you stumble upon when you get home from a weekend trip. That’s the reality that Philip’s sister Anka (Sylwia Boron) encounters on Monday morning after her brother decides to continue the party at home.
That’s the kind of shit you can get away with, or at least think you can get away with, if you’re a bleached blonde model with soft, yearning eyes and a jawline made for television. But Anka doesn’t care about that. Like Phillip, she too grew up surviving the foster care system, and the siblings were always there for each other, but at the moment, Phillip is getting far more than he’s giving, and is taking leeches from Anka while she cares for her one-year-old at home.
That in itself would be an interesting setting. I’m proud He’s having a lot of fun, even if Philip’s hedonistic enjoyment quickly begins to catch up with him. The conflict between Vodka and Breakfast takes a turn for the worse when Philippe vomits and passes out in his underwear while filming a live TV commercial. Especially that day when Anka kicked Philip out as an asshole, which was far from ideal.
When his signature charm doesn’t work, Philip flees to a safe haven, a club, where he also passes out and desperately needs rest. But that doesn’t happen. Because life is about to catch up with Philip in the most dire way possible.
It’s not a spoiler to reveal that Anka dies at the end of the first episode. The premise of this entire series is less about Philip’s partying lifestyle and more about the lifestyle he has to give up after this tragedy to take care of his niece Tosia (Alicia Lewczuk). Even if you haven’t read the synopsis carefully, it’s understandable to be surprised by this, especially for a show that begins with a naked Heimlich maneuver at work before the aforementioned orgy begins.
Klementevich and co-screenwriter Monika Pencikiewicz handle these tonal shifts with ease, often in the same scene, so that the humor, especially early on, endures even in the face of tragedy. So the scene where Philip asks a friend from work to take a picture of his butt for Grindr doesn’t feel out of place in what could have just been a very morbid incident.
That’s not the case I’m proud It ignores the reality of what Anka’s death means to Philip. Realizing that Tosia’s father is not willing to take action, Philip ultimately decides to become Tosia’s legal guardian, as he knows firsthand how harsh the foster care system is and also knows that Anka did not want that for her daughter.
The stress of being a single father in your 20s comes from many different sides. Philip is allergic to any kind of responsibility and currently has to juggle work and raising children without a partner of his own. The chosen family plays an important role here. Even if Philip sometimes takes all of that for granted, they are useless when it comes to the tough institutional hurdles he has to face when trying to be a gay father in Poland.
The lawyer tells Philip quite bluntly that he needs to “stop being gay for a while” for his petition to be successful. There is no malice in these words. In Poland, this is just a fact. This is a country where it’s difficult to exist as a queer person, much less demand the rights that everyone else takes for granted.
Thankfully, Phillip has loved ones around him who still put up with his shit, and in an alternate reality, they would each deserve their own show too. Loyal makeup artist Kiki (Maria Sobosinska) has her own struggles. For example, you have long been defined as a young mother, trying unsuccessfully to find yourself. And then there’s the kind and gentle Olek (Kamil Studnicki), who uses his cocky demeanor to hide his pain and unrequited love for Felip.
Philip may be a mess, but he’s still recklessly charming, an agent of chaos who has long weaponized his perfectly sculpted face and body, so Love is easy to understand. Rhys is phenomenal at hiding Philip’s implicit pain, always just seconds away from breaking through that vicious front. This is one of those lesser-known performances that may not register with English award bodies, but will resonate deeply with those who watch it. I’m proud.
And you should see it. As gorgeous as Philippe is the craft that goes into this series, from cinematic needle drops to unforgettable moments of silence. There is beauty in the immeasurable sadness that lingers on Philip’s cheek as he kisses his sister in the morgue, leaving a club mark on her cheek.
I’m proud Sometimes there may be a lot, but when it comes to the small moments that matter, it’s delicate. At a time when the show refuses to sanitize or give its protagonists a free pass, Clementewicz tells a very different kind of queer story, offering an authentic look at Philip’s flaws and hopes in a dirty but undeniably important light that deserves to be seen by a wider audience.
I’m proud (★★★★☆) Now streaming on HBO/Max. Season 1 concludes on July 31st. HBOMax.com.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
