THE WOODS

Poland, 2020, 6X50 minutes, Colour.

Gzregorz Damiecki, Agnieszka Grochowska, Hubert Milkowski, Jacek Koman.

Directed by Leszek Dawid, Bartisz Konopka.

The Woods is a Polish production, transferring the story from the United States to Poland in the 1990s, the scene of a youth camp, and 2019, police investigations.

The camp scene introduces us to a group of teenage boys, friends, especially Pavel, whose mother and father are having tensions but are present at the camp, his mother in a liaison with the manager of the camp. Pavel is attracted to his daughter, Laura. Throughout the film, there are scenes of life at the camp, leading to mysterious deaths and disappearances as well as a police investigation and Pavel’s father going to the woods digging, searching for bodies.

The main action is in the 2010s, Pavel an important prosecutor, Laura lecturing at the University and wife of an older professor. Police start investigating when the body of one of the young people who disappeared is found murdered. This leads to the uncovering of all kinds of secrets, the parents of the dead man denying that he is their son. Then a body being discovered which turns out to be Pavel’s mother. Laura’s father lives in an institution and is quite involved in what has happened.

There are threats to Pavel. Pavel and Laura continue to investigate. The action goes back to the night in the woods and different explanations of what happened from what we might have expected. All the time Pavel is motivated by a search for his sister who disappeared – and, finally finding her, and a confident.

Harlan Coben fans should enjoy this series.

1. The popularity of Harlan Coben novels? Thrillers? Adaptation for television series? Poland? Keeping the core of the plots and characters? In a different culture?
2. The impact of the series, six episodes, the cumulative effect? Time for exploring plot, characters, investigations, resolutions?
3. The Polish settings, the 1990s, the transition to the 2000s? Intercutting the time periods?
4. The core mystery, the killings in the woods, the situations of the characters, the camp, the teenagers, the adult supervising, the chaperones, family connections? The disappearances, the finding of bodies? Disappearance of bodies? The investigations of the time, the police? The effect on lives and careers? The 2000s, adults, careers, unsolved mysteries? The reconnection’s, investigations, resolutions?
5. The sequences at the camp, their recurring throughout the series, teenagers, boys and girls, the Polish setting, ordinary teenage life like anywhere else in Western cultures? The younger supervisors? The management of the camp, adults, the manager and Laura as his daughter? Pavel and his mother and her relationship with the head? Hit his father? The celebrations? Developing relationships, sexuality, jealousy? The focus on the woods in the title?
6. Pavel, at the camp, his mother and father, relationship with them, the attraction to Laura? His friends, seeing them in action, swimming, celebrations, and jokes? The impact of the deaths? Paul following his father and his father searched in the woods? His relationship with his mother, the disappearance?
7. The police, the investigations time, suspicions? Laura’s father, mother, the interrogations? The disappearance? The father and his behaviour, but his remaining with his son, going out to dig in the woods? The cleaner, her son, her being scorned? The supervisor, acting suspiciously, asault, his later arrest and charges, complicities?
8. The 2000, Pavel, his job, at home, family? His cases, public office, his superiors?
9. The police, the discovery of the body, the checking on identification, interrogating Pavel? The mystery of one of the teens who disappeared? New name, derelict? The issue of his scar and side, the interrogation of his parents, their lives?
10. Pavel and his meeting Laura, her life, the University, her older husband, the long attraction from the past? The meetings with Pavel, helping with the investigations? Her father, the institution, the past, connecting him with the man who disappeared?
11. Pavel, his obsession in searching for his sister?
12. The finding of the body, the revelation that it was his mother? The effect? The dead man’s mother, revealing the truth to Pavel? The elaborate behaviour after the deaths and disappearances, their disappearing, protecting the young man, the secrecy? Over the years?
13. Laura’s father, the revelations, the past, his behaviour in the past, his murder in the?
14. The resolution, the flashbacks, the actual deaths, accidental, intentional, the bearing the bodies? The disappearances?
15. Pavel, the attacks on him, his resignation?
16. Pavel and his finding his sister, taking refuge in the convent?