#rojst

A crime series consisting of a three-part journey into the times of deep communism in Poland, suffocating cigarette smoke in every possible room, gloomy buildings and people with minor or major secrets.

This story is so complex with its characters and storytelling that I don’t really know where I should start… Well, alright let’s start with these two in the picture above. Witold Wanycz (played by Andrzej Seweryn) and Piotr Zarzycki (played by Dawid Ogrodnik). The chemistry between these two actors is remarkable! They fits their characters so well and from the very beginning you just believe both of them to be an old journalist troubled by his past in this small town, and young, spirited one, who wants to reveal the truth, and despite being quite an annoying character cares about justice. The show has many excellent supporting characters as hotel manager Kocioł or Nadia. If some fans of World on Fire ever read it, they will be nicely surprised by presence of Zofia Wichłacz, who plays Piotr’s wife. But anyway! The plot takes place in 80s, in gloomy small town where a prostitute and a communist activist are murdered. I don’t want to spoil anything but you can already say by the times it happens it’s not easy to solve… Wanycz wants to run away from the town and Zarzycki wants to solve the case with him. And it’s all starts spinning! Everyone in the town lies of course.

Second series takes place also in the same town, but in 1997 and introduces new characters, which you can see in the pic. My absolutely favourite sergeant Mika (Łukasz Simlat), and sergeant Anna Jass (Magdalena Różczka). Year '97 was the period of the greatest flood in over a century in Poland and the plot covers the aftermath of it. It takes place after Poland became fully independent but the hallmarks of communism are evident at every turn. In district Gronty somebody finds the body of a young boy, and water washes away the bones of people killed there during the war. In general it’s a mess. Police try to work on the case but again, nothing in this town is easy and everybody lies. Of course there are old friends occurring there as well from the previous series. We have some flashbacks into the past back to 1940s, and we get to know Wanycz’s story.

I really think that the latest part of the series is my favourite. Again, all previous characters appear, but the creators take the audience back into the super communist 1960s, apart from 1999, and we have some more light shed on Mr Kocioł (played by Filip Pławiak as younger version of him)

- for comparison here’s older Kocioł and younger one, can you seeee the visionnnn? -

After waking up I went to Michał's Instagram because I thought it may have been a kind of sign and I saw in his story that he had been on the premiere of the third season of Rojst. And I'm so confused because I googled the cast for the new season and he isn't mentioned, so was he there only as a guest or did he actually play there, I don't know 🤔