The Hater – Netflix Review (4/5)

THE HATER is a new thriller on Netflix. It’s from Poland, but please don’t let that keep you from watching it. The production quality is impeccable and the storyline is both universal and all-too-relevant. Read our full The Hater review here and check it out on Netflix!

THE HATER is a new Netflix thriller from Poland. It’s dark, brutal, and extremely relevant and realistic. It feels like watching events leading up to something you’ve seen on the news. This is the kind of Netflix movie that will get a lot of hype and buzz because it deserves it!

And while it is a Polish production, the story itself is universal and will feel familiar to most people. Unfortunately, this highlights the worst parts of human nature.

Recommended reading: Our review of the Polish Netflix series Signs here >

Continue reading our The Hater review below.

Disturbing through its realism

The reason The Hater works so damn well is due to its realism. Well, that along with the very impressive production quality. However, above these two things, we have the star of this movie. The actor Maciej Musialowski is breathtakingly amazing as the lead character Tomasz.

Within the span of seconds, he can go from being vulnerable to pure evil. He is hurting and wanting something more and you cannot help but feel for him at times. Then you follow his actions and can almost see his train of thought as he plans out diabolical events. Soon, your sympathy will disappear as quickly as it arrived.

However, you’ll probably still find yourself going back and forth several times throughout the film. Just as you’re supposed to because Tomasz himself changes direction a lot. This simply would never have worked in any credibly way if it wasn’t for Maciej Musialowski. 

This movie is truly brilliant in every way thanks to both the director and writer, but Maciej Musialowski brings it to life in the most heartfelt way. And also in the most sinister of ways. His portrayal of Tomasz took my breath away again and again!

Watch The Hater on Netflix now!

Jan Komasa is the director of The Hater with the screenplay written by Mateusz Pacewicz. The two previously made the movie Corpus Christi (org. title Boze Cialo) together, which was nominated for an Academy Award. This was in the “Best International Feature Film” category where it lost to Parasite, which was the (much deserved) big winner of the night.

The Hater should be a movie that’s watched and debated by teenagers worldwide. And adults for that matter, but they’re probably more of a lost cause and think they know better. For teenagers, watching The Hater on Netflix would be the perfect way to talk about not believing everything you read and see online.

Also, it’s the perfect way to talk about loneliness, depression, and bullying. Both online and offline, since The Hater excels at showing exactly how effortlessly these two worlds blend (and collide) in the world of today.

The Hater is out on Netflix from July 29, 2020.

Details

Director: Jan Komasa
Stars: Adam Gradowski | Agata Kulesza | Danuta Stenka | Jacek Koman | Maciej Musiałowski | Maciej Stuhr | Martynika Kosnica | Piotr Biedron | Vanessa Aleksander