1983

Very pleased to see this Polish serie.

Well acted and good dark story. It's sci-fi twist of history but realistic enough that this really could happen.

Makes me hungry to look for other Polish series.

Strong good sides:

• scenography and pictures. Nicely done. Fictional communistic Poland in 2003 looks great. Grey and gloomy remains of old times with monumental new sceneties, that look like from the Blade Runner. I like that.

Bad sides:

• plot - some storylines are... dispensable, just making unnecessary mess,
• dialogues - full of pathos, not natural, idiotic sometimes. It is visible that even actors have problems with playing that, and some of then sound like a speech synthetiser,
• bonds between particular characters is not understandable. It is not sketched properly, so it is hard to 'feel' them, and immerse in the world.

Still, it is really interesting and one of the best Netflix production this year. I hope for more in the next season.

For me, it is the first series to watch dealing with events springing from the preservation of the Soviet bloc - I know some series-films dealing with the fictional results of WWII... And as a contemporary and still remembering how-what was it living under a so-called socialism, I could follow the events in "1983" with seemingly bigger understanding and those always living in a democratic country.

Yet, it is intriguing to combine oppression and spying with smartphones widespread among the population, and some other things related to technology, that is why the script includes some odd shifts and solutions. But as the performances are good (particularly the main male ones), the general story adds up, the mood is well captured and the country of origin is Poland (not some wealthy and known film-industy country), I can easily rate it with 8 points and recommend to all them fond of related topic.

Tl;dr: This might be one of the best depictions of Orwellian nature of corrupted government. The story paints the interesting picture of communism, nationalism and rebellion in their dark, deeply flawed natures. If that sounds like it might interest you, give it a try.

I loved: Excellent acting in main roles as well as their character development as the story progressed. Scenic design was awesome, lots of right angles and concrete and glass, typical of commie Europe. The story takes bunch of left turns along the way, develops on multiple fronts and keeps you guessing. Have anyone told me this was based on Tom Clancy's novel - I would have believed it.

I disliked: Plot is organically developing in discovery and further complicated by two timelines (83/03) which makes it hard to follow. Dialogues seem to lose something in translation at times, which isn't uncommon in foreign cinematography but makes me wonder who did Netflix target by this show.

This is a confounding series, sometimes puzzling, other times enthralling, but with tight pacing that makes the show rarely boring. I will admit to being lost at different times - the going and forth between modern times with the 80's can get one confused about where you're at. But you learn to just go with the flow. Most of the credit goes to Robert Wieckiewicz, whose tough exterior and tougher interior are wonderfully conveyed and keep you watching him. It's an extraordinary performance. The rest of the cast is top notch, too. There are also nice touches in the dialog, some unexpected twists and turns, and moment or two of levity to keep you off balance before the next grungy bit of ultraviolence gets your heart beating again. Of special note is the obvious tip of the hat to Blade Runner, especially in the rainy, neon-lit Asian alley way with bike riders where the lead character is interrupted from eating his noodles while two cops stand on either side of him. Sound familiar? Yeah, I loved it and I like this series quite a bit. It's inscrutable at times, silly at others but always fascinating.