What?
It hasn't arrived?
You're joking!
SZCZECIN, POLAND, 13 JANUARY 19 HOURS BEFORE THE MAYDAY CALL
It was meant to arrive yesterday!
Listen, I can't talk right now,
Yeah, I'll call you later, Bye,
Ania, think how it would look,
A senior employee at Navica Ferries
sailing to Sweden with a rival operator,
To a conference on shipowners and their rates, no less! No way,
Wiesio, our ferries aren't really for passengers, so I thought,,,
Ania, you know the Russians want in on this route,
The Swedes are price-dumping like mad, trying to finish us,
I hardly need to explain it to you, You know full well what it's like,
Take the documents, please,
Listen,
you and Marta will take Heweliusz,
It'll be better for our image,
Andrzej's on shift now, I'm sure he'll take great care of you,
Ania!
It'll be better than on the Queen Elizabeth!
See you, Wiesio,
Look who it is!
Piotr Binter, in person!
Hi, Ania,
What are you doing here?
I need to sign some papers,
And later?
I'm free,
Thank you,
I was going to take the Uppsala, but,,,
Kosiorek said no,
Well, LOT Airlines had Kościuszko, We have Heweliusz,
Stop it,
Why are you going anyway?
Rate negotiations,
We're trying to cut a deal,
but our ferries aren't exactly competitive,
It'd be nice to have a new ferry,
It would, wouldn't it?
Fancy going to the sailor's masquerade ball with me?
I checked, You're not working,
Come on! We're grown-ups,
No strings attached,
We can go as colleagues,
Can you feed Sonia for me?
You gave her to me!
You're her godfather,
Bye, then,
Wait,
For good luck,
In Tahiti, they told me this wards off storms,
You can return it when you get back,
At the ball?
Bye,
SZCZECIN 18 JANUARY
Here, kitty, kitty,
Here, kitty,
Sonia!
There you are,
Stop complaining, We'll be better off together,
Sweetheart,,,
Witek,
Witek!
Hold her, love,
I need to go to the loo,
And change her nappy, She's been getting a rash,
Witek!
Witek, where are you going?
- Sorry, I have to go out, - But,,,
I'm sorry,
What's going on?
Nothing's going on, Everything's fine,
I do have eyes, you know,
I know you're struggling, But it hasn't been easy for me either,
For days, I was a widow, and she was half-orphaned,
God, you just don't get it,
What don't I get, huh?
What don't I get?!
We need some affection too, even if only a little,
But you just sit there staring at the wall all day!
- At least tell me what's wrong, - Nothing!
Nothing's wrong! Just leave me alone!
I can't stand this place!
Can't you just shut up?
Does she have to howl like that?
He walks in with a wet bag,,,
WARSAW
,,,pulls out a live carp and chucks it in the loo,
Gives her a toy fish instead,
- No way, - Yeah,
Look, Aga's here,
Hey!
There you are, finally,
I missed you, Come here,
- Give me one, - Here,
How's things?
Fine,
You guys? What's up?
I was just talking about Ryż's party,
The window fell out, frame and all,
And the Kaczkowski kid got into a fight with Arturek,
- Who do you mean? - In 7F, He's repeating the year,
Watch out for him, actually,
Why?
- Seems he's got some beef with you, - With me?
Do you know why?
No idea,
Where's Sobczak?
On her period!
That's the third time this month!
Hi, girls, Aleksandra, Magda,,,
Hi, Aga,
Aleksandra,
Magdalena,
Dorota,,,
Aga! Come with me, please,
You can start without her,
How are you holding up?
I expect everyone's asking you that,
Okay,
Isn't it a bit soon for you to be back at school?
No,
We've spoken to your classmates,
To tell them what happened,
and,,, prepare them,
Prepare them for what?
I want you to know you have our full support,
All the teachers are aware of your situation,
so they'll be lenient,
Can I go back to class now?
Well?
Yes, of course,
Thank you,
Thank you, Mariola,
The president will be late, I'm afraid,
That's fine, thanks, Close the door behind you, my dear,
Allow me to begin,
We've arranged for the inquiry to take place here, in Stargard,
They'll confirm the exact date today,
but it won't be for at least another three weeks,
Do you know who'll be presiding?
Professor Janusz Pyzel,
He's done it before,
and he has a PhD in maritime law,
The panel needs to consist of specialists who understand the bigger picture,
They need to know Navica Ferries is more than just Heweliusz,
That's why you're a lay judge, and probably won't testify either,
What if I have to?
The key rule is this,
In general, you tell the truth,
Unless,,,
Piotr, it's plain and simple,
The conditions were rough,
Ułasiewicz and his crew made a mistake,
Sure, the ferry had its flaws,
But nobody's perfect,
Crucially, the ferry's defects weren't decisive,
So, in short, you're implying that the captain lost the plot
and crossed the prevailing wind
in a poorly balanced ship, Is that it?
Lost the plot? Hardly,
As I said, the conditions were rough,
I wouldn't rule out insanity, We should also consider intoxication,
Ułasiewicz wasn't a madman, and he most certainly wasn't a drunk,
Plus, he had a very good crew,
Right,
,,,changes in the political current in the United States,
especially after the end of the Cold War,
And now for an update on the Jan Heweliusz disaster of 14 January,
which shocked the public on both sides of the Baltic,
Despite the extensive search, 17 people are still considered missing,
So far, of the 64 people who were on the ferry
only nine have been rescued, On its last voyage,,,
Could you change the channel?
,,,Andrzej Ułasiewicz, a 46-year-old captain,,,
,,,up to 1030 hectopascals,
And another beer, please,
You too,
- Goodnight, - Goodnight,
- Wait! - Hey! Hurry up!
Coming!
I'm coming, Wait,
I'm sorry,
CITY FERRY ŚWINOUJŚCIE, POLAND
Good morning,
We met at the border, Can we talk?
About what?
You know what,
No, I don't,
All right,
What's that for?
It's just a formality,
Aren't I entitled to a lawyer?
Why would you need a lawyer?
Witold, this is just a friendly conversation,
I don't think so,
Is it true Ułasiewicz drank?
No, it's not, He didn't,
I hear there was a formal dinner prior to departure,
Yes,
Ania Mentzel was sailing with us, The captain entertained her,
- Lots of booze,,, - No!
Ułasiewicz was a good captain,
Our captain, You understand?
We just need to know why the fuck he capsized that ferry,
What about the stern door?
What about it?
Seriously?
Apparently, Ułasiewicz rammed it in Ystad and water was pouring in,
Listen to me,
We sail at sea, not in the desert,
Water gets in everywhere, It's all over the place,
A hand-sized hole in the stern door didn't cause her to sink,
Maybe he rammed it because he'd been drinking,
Let's end this interrogation,
Since it's only "friendly",
Does it take a formal invitation to get you here?
Take a seat,
You've got your boots and immersion suit?
Pardon?
Do you have them with you?
No, How could I?
Then we'll have to deduct it from your daily allowance,
I was on the Heweliusz, madam!
All right, No need to shout,
We'll overlook it this once,
Compensation for lost belongings,
Aren't you pleased?
Sign here, Here!
Oh, and one more thing,
Arrived from Germany,
Thank you,
But next time you lose your boots and suit,
we won't be so forgiving, and you won't see any money,
Hello!
Hi,
What did you get?
- Nine million, - How much?!
Nine,
I had 300 million in my cabin, I'd been saving for a car,
Good luck,
Going up,
Excuse me!
You served as an officer under Ułasiewicz, right?
- Could you spare a minute? - No, Sorry, I don't have time,
My name is Piotr Binter, You don't recognise me?
Tell me what really happened out there,
There, That's what happened,
Why didn't you sail sheltered by the coast?
Why? We were in a hurry, as usual,
We were running late and,,,
Because of the stern door?
The door had been fixed by eight,
So why, then?
You'd have to ask the captain,
At the Last Judgement, perhaps,
Maybe, But there's a more secular hearing first,
As you well know,
You know what that means?
They'll crucify us,
- They have reason to do so, - No,
The company can't go bankrupt, I know that, You know that,
What they're doing is a crime against Ułasiewicz's memory,
- He was the captain, after all, - And who are you?
Ułasiewicz,,,
was a great man,
You should know! He was a very good captain,
He couldn't do anything, It was a hurricane!
Even so, other ships made it back,
Other ships aren't the Heweliusz,
You know perfectly well what a pile of junk she was,
I do, That's why I can't understand
why he made a sudden turn in such conditions,
I don't know,
I don't know! I wasn't on the bridge,
I was in the engine room,
There was a lot going on,
You need to ask the others,
No! Please, it's on me,
Put it away, I insist,
Thank you,
Thanks very much,
Good luck,
WARSAW
Hello, Jola,
Please, come in,
Andrzej's discharge letter from his surgery last year, Will that do?
Should do,
Thank you,
What do you need it for?
Formal identification purposes,
For when they recover the body,
But I'll identify him,
Jola,,,
They've been in the water for days,
Trust me, It's better I do it,
I want you to know that,,,
I tried to help him as best I could,
I told him to turn the ballasted side towards the wind,
but the connection was patchy and we didn't know where they were,
That's why we couldn't help them,
It all happened so fast,
I know,
Thank you,
When's the inquiry?
Soon, I don't know the exact date yet,
Will Andrzej be used as a scapegoat?
I don't think so, but anything could happen,
They always want someone, even if that person's not directly to blame, so,,,
Andrzej isn't guilty,
But he was the captain,
Goodbye,
Where the fuck are you going?
What do you want?
Your old man killed mine, You're gonna pay for that,
My father didn't kill anyone,
What's going on over there?!
Kaczkowski, doesn't your mother have enough to worry about?
We're just talking,
I should hope so,
Bring me half a mil tomorrow or I'll beat the shit out of you, got it?
Hello,
I've come from Szczecin,
I have something that belonged to your husband,
That's why they thought I was him,
Are you a grave robber?
Stealing watches from the dead?
No, it's not like that, The watch,,,
Tell me, how is it possible
that all the passengers died,
but you and eight of your colleagues survived?
Weren't you duty bound to save the others?
- We tried,,, - Oh, yeah? Not hard enough!
You were a crew of losers led by an irresponsible captain!
You're the ones who killed my husband! You!
- Please leave, - Yes, madam,
Yes, madam,
- I'm truly sorry,,, - Get out!
Goodbye,
14 JANUARY FOUR MINUTES BEFORE THE MAYDAY CALL
What's going on?
What the fuck's happening?!
Move!
Attention, crew and passengers!
Attention, crew and passengers, captain speaking!
We need to abandon ship,
I repeat, we need to abandon ship,
Proceed immediately to muster stations!
Abandon ship!
What's going on?!
Come on! Move!
Grab onto this!
Marta!
- Mum, what's going on? - Go, go, go!
- Go left! - Hold on!
Mum!
- Wait! It's over there! - Where?
- The exit's that way! - Maciek, there!
- Straight on and turn right! - Maciek, hold on!
What's going on?
Life jackets! Put on the life jackets!
- Faster! - Help my son, for Christ's sake!
This way, hurry up! Faster!
Sir, you have to get out! Quickly!
Life jacket! Grab the life jacket!
Hurry! Go up that way!
- Quick, this way! - Straight on and turn right!
Give me that life jacket! Please!
- I can't swim! - Fuck off, mate!
- That way! - Move your arse!
Take hold of my son! Hold him tight!
Maciek!
Mum!
Help her! That's her boy over there!
- Maciek! - Mum!
Maciek, wait!
We have to leave, Hurry up!
- Maciek! - Mum, where are you?
Someone help us!
Help!
Where are the lifeboats? Where's the crew?
Help me! Hey, don't go!
Help!
Where is the crew? Help!
Here!
Everything will be okay!
Help will be on its way!
But where are they?
Where is everything?
Don't worry! Everything will be okay!
Maciek, it will be okay,
How are you doing? Can you breathe okay?
- Is everything okay? - Yes,
Hold on! Someone will be here soon,
Ostsee Radio, Ostsee Radio, this is Kempen!
We're at the disaster site!
Please repeat!
Ostsee Radio, this is Kempen!
We're at the disaster site!
Port side, the Polish ship Heweliusz,
We're launching a rescue!
Give me your coordinates!
I repeat, give me your coordinates!
What are our coordinates?
We're about 16 miles east of Kolliker,
Sixteen miles east of Kolliker!
Hey, grab that!
The hook! Attach the fucking hook!
Hold it tight!
- Come on! Faster! - Towards you!
Turn it!
- Turn it! - Keep turning!
Fucking hell!
Hold on tight!
Hold on!
I can't!
- Get in the lifebuoy! - I can't!
Stay in the lifebuoy!
Hey, wait!
Hey! Stop, hey!
- Get inside it! - I can't!
Hold on!
To the life rafts!
Get into the rafts!
- Now! - Get into the rafts!
Get inside!
Help me!
Help me! Hey!
Help me!
Sail around her from the bow,
Yes, sir,
Faster! Get inside!
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,,,
Holy Mary,,,
Watch out! We're sinking!
Alek, my son,,,
Tell him,,, tell him I love him!
Hey!
Tell,,, tell him I love him!
My wife's pregnant,
I won't,,, I won't get to see Monika!
- Calm down, mate! You'll survive! - I won't see my kids!
- Captain! - What is it?
You need to see this, sir!
Maintain course, I'll be right back!
What the fuck is that?!
Captain, we just pulled him out of the water!
Did we mince him up like that?
- Throw him back into the water! - What?
But, Captain,,,
That's an order!
- You didn't see anything, understood?! - Yes,
Come on, get rid of him,
Jens, hard to starboard,
What?
We're leaving!
Kempen, Kempen,
This is Kempen,
The conditions are too rough,
We're too small, We're leaving,
I see a raft, Descending,
A bit closer!
One metre forward!
Descending!
Hey!
They came!
Hey, over here!
Do you hear me? They're here!
Lower!
Hey, over here!
Over here, lower!
Descend! The rope has got caught!
Cut it off!
Shit!
Help!
This is all I have,
I withdrew all my savings,
Don't worry,
It's enough for a modest funeral,
- Thank you, - You're welcome,
See you at the mass, then,
Excuse me,,,
Have you met the captain's wife?
No,
She lives near you, on Drozda, Number 12,
Sometimes it helps to share your pain with someone,
Someone going through the same thing,
- You could be of support to each other, - God bless you,
Mr Bronisław, I seem to have misplaced it,
Oh, there it is!
Here you go, sir,
- Good morning, - Good morning,
Where's the manager's office?
The manager's office?
Go right and up the stairs,
The office at the end of the corridor,
Mrs Kaczkowska, how many times do I have to tell you
that your husband wasn't a company employee?
What do you,,,
How can that be? He told me he was,
I don't know what he said,
I'm simply stating the facts,
But he drove one of your lorries,
Yes, but as I've said, he rented it from us,
So that means,,,
What, that I'm not entitled to any compensation?
We don't owe you anything,
Your husband didn't work for us,
If anything, we'll be claiming damages for the sunken property,
You?
I'm very sorry, but in such cases
the entrepreneur is liable with his own assets,
The entrepreneur is dead!
But the debts are inherited,
No doubt we all remember the parable of Jonah and the great storm
sent by God so that Jonah could fulfil his mission,
The Lord's judgements are unknowable to us,
but each serves a purpose,
Their deeper meaning will be revealed to us at the Last Judgement,
when their ingenuity will become apparent in all its glory,
Let us pray today for two members of our congregation
who perished on the Jan Heweliusz ferry,
Captain Andrzej Ułasiewicz remained faithful to the end,
He stayed on the bridge,
- Aga! - He died like a real sailor,
- He died at,,, - What are you talking about?
My dad hasn't been found, He's alive!
You shouldn't say such things!
My dear child, I understand perfectly,,,
You understand bugger all!
How can you bury a man if his body hasn't been found?
You should be giving hope, Father, not taking it away!
Aga!
Aga?
Aga!
That'll be 23,000, please,
Thank you,
- Thank you, - Thank you,
Just a moment, please,
Aneta, come over here,
- Good morning, - Good morning,
Here you are,
Thank you very much,
I promise I'll settle up soon,
You'll settle up when you're able,
Oh, and something for your boy,
Thank you,
- Goodbye, - Goodbye,
Poor woman, Her husband drowned at sea in that disaster,
Yeah,
- And for you? - Potatoes,
All right,
Did you give him some mint tea?
Try rubbing his tummy,
And there are some drops in the medicine cabinet,,,
THEMIS VOICE
,,,on the right-hand side, I have to go,
- Hello, - Hello,
I said you couldn't see her today, but she insisted,
I've waited for two hours, Spare me a moment?
Madam, I'm sorry but I'm rushing to court, Perhaps in two weeks' time?
Sir!
I've tried seven law firms, They all sent me away,
I really am in a hurry, I've a hearing in half an hour,
You do know who my husband was!
I do, I'm truly sorry but I can't take this case,
I'm leaving for America next week,
But you just said we could meet in two weeks!
Madam,,,
I'm sorry, but this case is a real hot potato,
I doubt anyone will take it,
They're all in cahoots with each other, It's all staged,
The presiding judge is Janusz Pyzel,
friend of Minister Kowalik,
The lay judges are Kubara and the other captain of Heweliusz,
Do you understand now?
I'm sorry,
Can't you answer?
Off you go,,,
- Hello? - I need your help,
Can you help me find a lawyer?
Listen, Jola, I really,,,
Piotr, I'm at my wits' end, No one will help,
You promised I could count on you,
Hold on, I need to put more coins in,
You know it won't be easy,
You're about to be a judge in your own case,
I'd appreciate your help if you have a shred of honour left,
They'll want to turn this to their advantage,
They'll crucify Ułasiewicz without a second thought,
Son,,,
There isn't a judge on this earth who'd find Ułasiewicz innocent,
He was the captain,
He shouldn't have left port,
Besides,
it doesn't matter now,
I'm a lay judge and I don't want to see him crucified,
It could've been me out there,
But it wasn't,
And since you're a lay judge,
you'll have to play by their rules,
I know,
I wanted to ask a favour,
Go on,
Jola needs a lawyer, but she can't find anyone,
Nobody wants to take the case,
Does that surprise you?
You must know someone,
Fuck,
I promised myself I wouldn't get involved with this case,
Dad, please!
Karol,
what's the name of that lawyer
who recently defended that idiot when he blocked the port channel?
I don't recall,
I don't know!
You know very well,
The operation ended at dawn,
The captain was found on the bridge,
pinned between the wall and the console,
He remained at his post till the end,
Captain Andrzej Ułasiewicz was born on 12th June 1946,
He graduated from the Gdynia Maritime School,
In 1978, he,,,
Ignacy Budzisz,
Specialises in maritime cases,
He's not part of their clique,
He might take the case,
We've just received the tragic news
that a body has been recovered from the wreckage of the Heweliusz,
It is that of Captain Andrzej Ułasiewicz,
who remained on the bridge until the very,,,
What's happened?
No,,,
No!
Let go of me!
Subtitle translation by: Łukasz Stanisław Dutka, Emma Garner