First time for everything! We really are here today with a film review! But really, if you follow us on twitter, you might have guessed that this was coming—we were both clearly very, very excited about Operation Hyacinth. So now that it’s been a week since the movie released on Netflix, let us tell you why exactly you should watch it too.
Before we start, though, a quick note: please watch the film with English subtitles, they’re definitely better than the English closed captions.
Not satisfied with the result of a murder investigation in Warsaw’s gay community, an officer in 1980s communist Poland resolves to uncover the truth.
Operation Hyacinth
dir. Piotr Domalewski
written by Marcin Ciastoń
Rep: gay mc, gay li, gay characters
CWs: police brutality, homophobia, slurs, autopsy, implied suicide (body on screen), gun violence, shooting, homophobic violence, drowning, violence
Release: 13th October 2021
To say this film was one of our most anticipated releases of the year is an understatement of the century. It was never really going to be otherwise. One of us is Polish, which already means I was excited about a Polish gay film the moment I heard it’s in the works. But I also have seen Domalewski’s previous works and more or less knew what to expect here. Charlotte just likes gay films that make you cry, and also mystery dramas.
The main character, Robert, is totally fictional. The murder mystery is fictional. But Operation Hyacinth was very much a real thing. It was a secret mass operation carried out by the Polish communist police with the aim of creating a national database of Polish gay men and their associates. On 15th November 1985, across Poland, police arrested many people suspected of being gay or of having connections with such groups. Round-ups occurred across schools, universities, and workplaces. Detainees were given files called Karta homoseksualisty (lit. “Gay Charter”) and induced into signing a statement admitting they were gay. In addition to signing the file, they were ordered to give fingerprints. Some were blackmailed into describing intimate parts of their sex lives, and others into denouncing friends. The operation lasted until 1987, but more files were added for a year after. When in force, an estimated 11,000 people were registered. The files are now called Różowe kartoteki (“Pink card index”).
That’s the background of the film and what makes the story possible. But more than that, it’s about a man who is sleepwalking through life. Who is all set to marry a woman, do what his parents and society want of him, suppress whatever desires he might have, and then he is hit by something (or someone) who shakes him awake. The mystery is the vehicle for a lot of this, of course, but the catalyst is Arek. Robert meets Arek and things click into place. Their relationship is the most compelling part of the entire film. The mystery? You could take or leave that. It was, really, pretty clear what direction that would take. But the relationship was what drew you in deeper.
The reason behind that is twofold: the intimacy of the filming, and the actors themselves. It’s like, whenever these two characters were on screen together, there was a kind of quiet to it. As though they were the only people in the world at that moment in time: all outside noise dropped away and left just them. When they’re together, they’re almost always in the same shot, the camera is fully focused on them, their eyes are always drawn to one another—you, the viewer, are merely invited to watch it all unfold. And, as I said, some of this is also down to the actors themselves. Tomasz Ziętek (Robert), in particular, is so very good at showing the minute changes in the emotions of his character—when Arek kisses Robert for the first time, in a dark street, and then tells him he “can’t be afraid of everything. Especially not freedom”, you can feel the “oh” moment.
Which leads us nicely onto discussing the emotions in this film themselves. It’s the kind of film that leaves your heart aching, that makes you acutely feel every bad thing that happens to the characters. It’s a common feature of Domalewski’s work, the way the characters have to almost work for their cathartic moment near the end, where they finally allow themselves to enjoy life (even if only for a second). But Operation Hyacinth is also very delicate with its characters, it treats them with kindness, while showing the brutality of the world they occupy with all its ugly colors. It creates an interesting juxtaposition and makes the moments Robert and Arek share all the more precious.
It’s also important to note how very Polish the film is. I imagine it’s not obvious for a foreign viewer, but the costumes and scenography are absolutely perfect, and evoke a very strong feeling of nostalgia. The music is mostly well known Polish songs, but given a totally new life with the context of the film; especially the cover of Co mi Panie dasz (in original by Bajm and a very upbeat song). It all creates a uniquely Polish story, but at the same time one that can be related to universally: the emotions in the film, the bare bones of the story which are gay men falling in love for the first time.
All of which is to say, in short, if you haven’t made time to watch this film just yet, you really ought to rectify that. After all, how many examples can you think of, where we’re allowed to tell our own histories on our own terms?
I also want to include some cultural notes, so the film is easier to understand for anyone who isn’t Polish and doesn’t know Polish history & culture (and the subtitles sometimes lack nuance).
- The main character works in Citizens’ Militia (Milicja Obywatelska) which was the police force in communist Poland, not to be confused with the military.
- The issue with marriage that’s mentioned is about the conflict between the Communist Party & the Church. The people were still religious (Catholicism always played a big role in Poland) & the Party didn’t want the Church to influence them.
- The main mission of the Security Service (where the main character’s father works) was to get rid of anything & anyone standing against the Communist Party, no matter the cost. They would imprison, torture and murder thousands of people.
- Some nuance lost in translation: the tape player was not so much simply bought by the girl’s father, but rather secured. In communist Poland things weren’t easily available in stores, so you’d need to have connections, tips etc. to be able to get something this valuable.
- The English subs consistently omit the word ‘comrade’ (towarzysz or obywatel in original) in dialogues, which for obvious reasons was the absolute norm in communist Poland.
- Robert’s colleague uses a diminutive of his name (Robuś), which is not uncommon, but intended as patronising in this context.
So, have we convinced you that you want to watch this film?
