Let me tell you a story about three siblings,
how one sibling died, killed by another.
I will tell you about a forest.
I will tell you about hounds
and about the war.
I will tell you about a father.
I will tell you about a son, an escape, and a return.
I will tell you about revenge.
I will tell you about crime and justice.
HOUND'S HILL
Listen carefully.
It will be a long story,
and it won't end well,
just like any true story.
18 YEARS AGO
-Stop. -What?
Stop.
That's not your crowd, Mikołaj.
Here.
-Wait. -Leave me the fuck alone.
What happened there?
Tell me.
Daria's gone.
What do you mean, gone?
She left me.
She didn't leave you. That's not how it works.
They just say that. You know how they can be sometimes.
Relax. It'll be okay.
She's a good girl.
But I'm not good.
I'm fucked up.
Mikołaj,
you're the best.
And you deserve a better life.
You're a mess.
It's good your mother can't see you right now.
-Hi. I'm sorry I'm here so early. -Come in.
Listen.
The forest ranger called about a body in the woods.
-Hold on. Slow down. What's happened? -Okay.
The forest ranger found a body in the woods.
The massacred body of a girl.
Why are you here, then?
It's… Daria.
Daria Masłowska, who has a brother…
Mikołaj's girlfriend.
-Let's go there, then. -Sure, let's go.
Paleface!
Yes?
TODAY
Gas from number three and that book.
WHERE DOES EVIL COME FROM?
Wow, that's you.
I couldn't put it down.
Anything else?
Yes.
Whiskey.
No problem.
Thank you. Come by again.
Did you know the oldest man in Poland died?
And now what?
I don't know. Someone else will be the oldest.
You don't think he's got it?
I got it just in case.
Okay, drive already.
WELCOME TO ZYBORK
Everything okay?
Yes, everything's fine.
I'm with you.
Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear…
-Hello. -Look, Warsaw is here.
I'm glad you're here. I thought something had happened.
-Hi, Agata. -Hey, Mikołaj.
-Hello. -Hi.
Mikołaj?
Hello!
Elka Walinowska. Don't you recognize me?
-I was your art teacher in school. -Hello.
-I was never very good at drawing.
-Nice sweater. -Thank you. My wife, Justyna.
-Hi. -Hi. Elka Walinowska.
-Hello. -Come in.
Say hi to Dad.
-Good to see you. -Happy birthday.
-Hello. -Hi, Justyna. Thanks. Hi.
Hi.
-Hi, Dad. -Hi.
Come here, Jasiek.
-So? -Dad, blow out the candles.
-Now? -Yes.
-Should I blow them? -Yes.
Wait, I got a bit winded.
Make a wish.
Blow them all out, or your wish won't come true.
All my wishes have come true.
Almost all.
You blow them out.
-Well done. -Well done!
I'll cut it.
Tomasz, I've gotta go now.
Already?
Duty calls.
-Have a slice of cake. -Thanks. Another time.
Come here.
-All the best. -Thanks.
God bless.
-Thank you for everything. See you. -See you.
A Pavlova cake.
So much sugar for a heart attack survivor?
Come on. It's his birthday today.
Still.
Are you a policeman or prosecutor?
Anything for Daddy.
Let me try that. Let me.
That's right!
It's really…
Quick!
All the best, Tomasz.
Thanks, darling.
What have we got here, Jasiek? Check this out!
-What? -What's this?
A smartwatch.
It's going to measure…
-It'll monitor your ticker. -Right, it's that kind of thing.
Will it beep if I'm taken by some shady disease?
You're taken by a shady lady.
Hold it, Jasiek.
Something bad is going on, Elka, I'm telling you.
It wouldn't be the first time.
Why else would that whore come to me?
To do what? Deceive me?
I don't know. Why don't you ask Tomasz?
-He'll talk to him and sort it out. -Nah, come on.
I can't bother Tomasz with every little thing.
-Why not? -Just because.
This is insane.
Listen.
Her husband disappeared.
Everyone thought he ran away with his lover from Wrocław.
But who?
Bernat, Dad's friend.
And that lover came to Mrs. Bernat to ask where he was.
Okay.
Hey, listen.
Why the fuck didn't you tell me that Dad had a heart attack?
Those who were interested knew.
But you had other things on your mind, huh?
I'm sober, Dad.
Mikołaj has been sober for 11 months.
Congratulations.
So,
how's work?
Good.
I've just finished a huge story about a pedophile ring.
It's heavy.
All of them should be hanged by their balls right away.
Grzesiek, do I need batteries for this?
They're inside.
Hey, vodka Little vodka, lovely vodka…
Grześ, Mom's had enough. Let's have some tea, okay?
What else is going on in Zybork?
Dad's pretending to be Wałęsa.
We want to get rid of the thief from the town hall.
Should've done it long ago.
I got you…
I mean, it's from both of us.
Happy birthday, Dad.
You're giving Dad a bribe?
No, an all-inclusive trip.
I can see that you're tired.
Do I look bad?
Come on. I'm serious, Dad.
You should rest a bit.
I thought
I'd buy you a vacation.
Agata, it's two weeks in Thailand.
Look, Agatka.
Thailand.
Thank you.
Thanks.
You owe us nothing.
Vodka, lovely vodka…
I'm not trying to settle any debts, Dad.
Lie down, Mom. Okay?
I just wanted…
I wanted to do something nice for you.
You did.
It's a really nice idea.
You generally have nice ideas.
The last time you came over…
Do you even remember when that was?
Remember the last time you were here?
When you stole Junior's cash.
It was Jasiek's First Communion.
Yeah.
I gave him back twice as much.
Forget it. That's not the point.
I read that bestseller of yours.
It's nice.
Nice. Very nice.
You know what the nicest part is?
-When you write about me beating your mom. -Tomasz.
-Really. -Tomasz, please.
This character doesn't have your name.
-So it's not me? Right. -Tomasz, please.
It's not like you never fucking hit her.
Agata, what are you…
Why are you squeezing me?
You didn't even come to your mom's funeral, dipshit.
Why don't we talk about something else? Let's have some tea, okay?
Let's go.
Happy birthday, Dad.
-Where are you going? -You're leaving?
-Okay. -Good night.
Bye.
For fuck's sake. You were supposed to make up with him.
You didn't buy batteries.
I hate him.
Fuck.
I hate him so much.
You're saying that because you're angry.
No, I'm saying that because I've had enough.
I'm fucking done. I don't need this.
Can you find us a hotel?
What? Why?
I'd like to see Mom.
We can come another time.
There won't be another time.
Mikołaj, watch out!
Mikołaj.
Mikołaj!
It's a man.
Fucking hell.
-We have to call an ambulance. -What?
The body is disfigured, but it's Filip Bernat.
We're taking him to the hospital.
Okay, one more time.
You were driving, talking, and…
We'd just taken a corner.
And he was lying on the road.
What else? I barely missed him.
We called right then.
-Time to blow into a breathalyzer. -I don't drink.
Come with me.
Like blowing out a candle…
Strong blow.
All good.
Grażyna!
-Don't! I just want to see if-- -No.
If that's…
For fuck's sake! I want to see if that's my husband.
-Open it. -I can't.
-Open it, for fuck's sake. -He's in critical condition.
It's him.
It's him, Tomek.
Tomek.
Tomek?
See? For fuck's sake.
Gonna keep mocking me and Grażyna and say he went to get some?
Don't get angry, Tomek.
I haven't even fucking started getting angry yet.
Grażyna.
They're taking him. You'll see him tomorrow.
-I just want to see him. -Don't talk to him.
-But I wanted-- -Don't talk to him.
But it's--
Take him.
Are you all right?
Everything's okay.
Listen.
Come home with us. You can sleep in Julka's room.
Okay, Mikołaj.
I said too much.
I'm sorry.
EDITORIAL OFFICE
Hello?
Sup?
Are you sitting down? This is big. It doesn't happen to many people.
How big?
We've sold two reprints.
Over 100,000 in total. I'm negotiating the adaptation rights.
You're about to get rich, dude.
It's all your doing, wizard.
Except there are posts online suggesting that it's not true,
that it's not based on facts.
What do you mean?
Not everyone believes that it's based on true events.
It is based on true events. Everything in the book is true.
If anyone disagrees, that's their problem.
As you can imagine, everyone here is totally pissed at me.
As long as all of Poland isn't pissed at you.
I don't care if they're pissed, as long as they buy my book.
Right. Actually, I'm preparing a reprint.
Okay. See you. Bye.
Take care.
GREAT BOOK. PAGE-TURNER. WHY DON'T YOU WRITE WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?
THEN YOU'LL END UP IN THE NUTHOUSE.
What do you want from him?
I actually don't know.
I haven't seen him in years.
You won't get much out of him.
Masłowski is not exactly in touch with reality.
Since when?
Since he's been in here.
-Because of what he did? -I don't know. There's no way to find out.
Masłowski is a black hole.
You know, before it happened,
he was a really upbeat guy.
What did they do to you, man?
Gizmo.
Remember me?
It's me, Mikołaj.
Paleface.
Paleface!
Animals.
-Fox. -Yeah.
You always knew how to get along with them. Right, Seba?
You had a talent, dude.
You were a real animal whisperer.
What are you reading?
-Fox. -On the Fox's Trail, of course.
DARK, COLD WATER
Where did you get this?
Who bought it for you?
And this?
You sent this to me.
Bad idea.
A bad idea?
That's true.
Paleface?
Yeah?
Two, one, eight.
What?
Two,
one,
eight.
Paleface!
What?
Paleface! Two, one, eight!
Two.
One.
Eight.
Two.
One.
-Please leave. -Eight. Paleface.
-Please leave. -Two! One!
-Please leave. -Eight!
Two! One!
-Sebastian, calm down. -Eight!
It's okay.
Did you have a nice chat?
-Close the damn door! -Paleface!
-Look at what's going on! -I'm sorry, but he sent me a letter.
Masłowski?
We can't be talking about the same man.
Mr. Głowacki,
Masłowski is unable to write, read, or count.
Mentally, he's at the level of a three-year-old.
At least he was when he was still responsive.
What did you expect?
I don't know.
Thank you very much.
I'm sorry for the trouble. Goodbye.
EDITORIAL OFFICE
HOW'S YOUR VACATION GOING? I MISS YOUR SCENT.
The cheetah has been waiting for the perfect moment.
He knows he has to be not only fast but also precise.
He reduces the distance with each second,
precisely adjusting his movements to match the hare's sharp turns.
The hare is no longer able to maintain its speed.
Good morning.
Hi.
Hungry?
Yeah.
Pass the butter.
Runny or firm?
Medium.
Have you seen Mikołaj, sir?
Don't call me "sir."
What should I call you?
"Dad" will do.
We don't see each other enough for that.
Can you cut the bread?
I don't know where Mikołaj is, but your car's not here.
-Good morning, darling. -Hi.
Hi.
Wanna come with us, Justyna?
Where?
To the hospital,
to see Filip Bernat.
You're friends, right?
It's a difficult kind of friendship.
Justyna, you can't even imagine what's going on here.
How is he? Hi.
Hi. Very bad.
He was beaten up
and tortured.
Extreme dehydration, hypothermia. It's a miracle he's alive.
Did he say who did this to him?
Tomek,
he's on life support.
He won't talk anytime soon, if at all.
-Can we see him? -No.
He's in isolation. He has sepsis.
Go to Grażyna.
Anything new?
I talked with his lover from Szczytno.
-The busty one. -Right.
She confirmed that Bernat hasn't visited in a month.
And he was supposed to take her to Malta,
but he never showed up.
And she confirmed that she'd been to see her.
Maybe he did it to himself.
Himself?
Drank in the forest and got hypothermia…
And tied up his fucking legs and knocked out his own teeth?
Tomek, calm down!
-I need a cig. Calm down, and we'll talk. -Fuck off.
I'm fucking off.
My father-in-law's a hothead.
For this town, he's pretty normal.
What did the lover tell you?
Why? Found yourself a story?
I don't know.
-But my father-in-law has his suspicions. -Right.
He can tell you about them himself. I can't control what Tomek's thinking.
That woman didn't tell me anything.
Nobody did, to be honest.
So?
Everyone thought he was on vacation?
Berpol's HR guy got a text from Bernat that said he was going on vacation.
The lover didn't know anything and had no tickets.
God bless!
Nothing.
And the police?
You didn't even file a missing person's report.
Well, I have to go. Duty calls.
Maybe it was the Gypsies.
Maybe the Russians? Or something you have no idea about?
I know what the stakes are, and so do you.
I know what we want to do and why.
Tomek,
you treat me like an enemy.
But he's my brother.
My blood.
Deliver a Mass in the intention of honesty in Zybork.
If you say something powerful, it will gain support.
Did you hear that?
Hypocrite.
What's actually going on here?
There's a clique in Zybork. We're fighting it.
Ex-mobsters.
The mayor is eating out of their hands.
She's no different from them.
And now there's this German, Kalt, who's laundering his dirty money here.
Now they want to build a luxurious hotel by the lake.
This town is falling apart. Nothing works.
Potholes everywhere, and they're building a luxury hotel.
Bernat didn't want to grant them a lease on the land.
And for that, they…?
Justyna, these people are worse than animals.
I won't let this slide.
Why didn't you tell me about this?
I'm sorry. I was confused.
Besides, you fixate on stuff like that.
You're being blackmailed, but I can't fixate?
It's not him. The guy is a vegetable.
Mikołaj! We're supposed to talk to each other.
What was therapy and all of this for?
I screwed up. Sorry.
Maybe some fucked-up fan is pranking you.
A fucked-up fan wouldn't know where Gizmo is.
It can be checked in five minutes.
Jesus!
We'll eat dinner together. Agata will make something.
Incredible.
"Why don't you stay for dinner?"
"Are you hungry?"
But no. Agata will make dinner, and that's fucking that.
-Mikołaj. -What?
-He means well. -What are you talking about?
Your father. I don't think he has bad intentions.
Stop falling for his tricks.
Strangers always find him fascinating. I've no idea why.
Maybe it's because he shows them kindness.
Unlike he does with us.
I'm not a stranger though, am I?
Sweetie.
I'll say bye to Grzesiek, okay?
I want to go home.
How can you stand being here? Seriously.
Remember how,
as kids, we used to
play pool in Maciuś's den, where he had VHS tapes and the table?
Yeah.
One time, we played too long. He got pissed and hit you.
With a cue. Remember?
And you bit him.
You bit his leg so hard, they had to stitch it up at the ER.
Yeah.
That's how I survive here.
If anything happens, I just…
bite the motherfucker.
You bite Dad too?
Paleface.
Let's be blunt.
I was never as gifted as you.
Gifted?
Sensitive, inspired. Whatever you call it.
I tried.
I studied here and there. Wrocław, then Ireland. Remember?
But at least I never pretended to be someone I'm not.
Right.
Hey! For fuck's sake. All good, bro.
Come here.
Chill out.
Tomek said you'll eat with us.
Yeah, he told us too.
Thanks for inviting us.
I'm doing what I can. You know how it is.
Take care,
and look after yourself.
-Gosh, it's so beautiful here. -You almost don't want to leave, right?
Aren't we going to the police station?
I want to visit Mom.
Hello.
A bouquet of the white ones, please.
Actually, two bouquets.
Maciuś, if I remember correctly.
Visiting your father?
You could say that.
You know,
I haven't read that masterpiece of yours.
But people are saying that you really fucking jazzed things up.
What people?
I hope there's nothing about me.
About you?
What could I have written about you?
You were just a wallflower.
Back then, you wouldn't have talked to me this way, buddy.
Back then was back then.
All the best.
And to the lovely lady from Warsaw.
RIP
Hi, Mom.
You look so alike.
Okay, let's go.
Is that her?
Yeah.
They're close together.
I think you got the wrong grave.
I mean, I knew Daria.
I know.
Mikołaj Głowacki.
I know that too.
I'll put them in a vase so they don't wilt.
If it's no trouble.
Okay, let's go.
POLICE
Hi.
They're waiting for you.
What are you doing here?
I'd rather be here, just in case.
Mrs. Głowacka, come in.
Are you staying for dinner or going straight after?
Nah, we're going back to Warsaw.
Please tell me…
Did you know the victim?
How would I?
He's your father-in-law's friend.
I'm not privy to my father-in-law's life. We're not close.
The place you live in now, is it mortgaged?
We rent.
That's not money well spent, is it?
Is there a bank here?
I'll get a mortgage. Will that make you happy?
Are you suggesting I know something about the kidnapping?
What kidnapping?
We don't even know if Bernat was kidnapped.
For fuck's sake.
Come in.
Mikołaj.
Thanks for coming.
Thank you.
Safe journey. If anything…
Of course I know who he is. I used to hang out with his son.
Not anymore?
Not anymore.
But since his father got under my wheels, maybe we should reconnect.
-The chief means that-- -I understand Polish.
Why are you in Zybork?
I came for my father's birthday.
That's it?
Is that not enough?
I guess that's probably it.
Actually, no.
One more thing…
Can you sign my book?
What's with the look?
You're a famous writer, aren't you?
You must be my only fan in Zybork.
I think everyone here has read it.
But nobody will admit it.
Two, one, eight.
Visiting hours are over.
We're doing ward rounds.
Ma'am, this is really important.
It's not up to me.
-What is it? -Something in Masłowski's room. Open it.
Hey! You can't go in there!
He's dead.
He bit through his own veins.
Leave.
IN MEMORY OF MICHAŁ ŻULCZYK
Subtitle translation by: Maja Konkolewska