Aahana Swrup
Netflix’s Polish sports drama film, ‘Boxer,’ directed by Mitja Okorn, presents the story of an aspiring athlete who relentlessly chases after his dreams despite the adversity that surrounds his past and present reality. Jędrzej Czernecki, a born boxer, dreams of achieving what his father couldn’t by earning the title of World Champion. Nevertheless, he can’t help but feel confined by his circumstances as he struggles in communist Poland. As a result, Jedrzej ends up running away to London with his wife, Kasia, to start a new chapter of his life. However, his new reality throws new curveballs his way, forcing him to dodge one punch after the other.
In charting Jędrzej’s journey as an immigrant boxer in England, the film highlights the protagonist’s Polish roots and the way his past defines him. Therefore, as the narrative builds, introducing riveting wins and losses into his boxing career, viewers are bound to wonder about the tale’s relationship to reality.
Boxer’s Loose Inspirations in a Real-Life Polish Athlete
From the get-go, ‘Boxer,’ originally known as ‘Bokser,’ remains transparent about its partially fictitious narrative. The film tells the story of Jędrzej Czernecki, a Polish athlete who flees from his homeland in the 1980s to escape his oppressive poverty. Since Jędrzej isn’t a biographical recreation of a real-life boxer, his journey inherently remains fictional in origin. Nevertheless, the relevance of the character’s story to various other Polish athletes ties him to reality through a unique lens. In real life, Poland saw the migration of around 1.3 million citizens in the 1980s. This historically significant population outflow remained tied to several socio-political reasons as the country went through its last decade of communism. However, at the crux of it all, citizens were fleeing Poland in search of a better life.
Dariusz Michalczewski, a Polish-German boxer, remains the most notable example of an immigrant athlete whose reality could have potentially inspired Jędrzej’s story. Much like the on-screen boxer, Michalczewski also suffered a great tragedy after losing his father to cancer at a young age. Nevertheless, he coped with the loss and continued to strive towards great things in his life as he pursued a boxing career under his uncle’s training and guidance. Still, even after earning himself a spot on the National team and becoming a Polish champion, Michalczewski found himself struggling under the country’s communist rule.
Consequently, in 1988, Michalczewski fled from Poland to Germany, where he faced another battle as a new face in a new, unknown country. Yet, he managed to emerge victorious on the other side, cementing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the boxing world by the early 1990s. Thus, the general make-up of the real-life athlete’s life perfectly resembles the hardships Jędrzej undergoes in ‘Boxer.’ However, a glaring disparity remains between the two boxers when one looks at the details of their real and fictitious lives.
For instance, in the film, Jędrzej travels to London—which remains a prominent departure from Michalczewski’s immigration to Germany. Likewise, both individuals undertake vastly different routes in their professional and personal careers. Thus, even if the film takes inspiration from Michalczewski’s reality, it remains evident it employs plenty of creative liberty and dramatisation. As such, the film ultimately remains fictitious with partial roots in reality.
Eryk Kulm Extensively Trained to Play Jędrzej’s Character
Given the similarities between Jędrzej Czernecki and Dariusz Michalczewski, the latter emerges as a possible real-life counterpart behind the on-screen boxer. Still, the film prominently delves into its protagonist’s personal life, showcasing the nitty-gritty details of his marriage, profession, and other private relationships. As a result, a considerable aspect of Jędrzej’s character becomes confined to the film’s fictionality. For the same reason, more than his probable connection to Michalczewski, Jędrzej finds his sense of realism through the actor Eryk Kulm’s performance.
According to reports, Kulm delved deep into his preparation for the role, as his training lasted for over six months. As per his research, the actor learned boxing techniques to better understand the defining athletic aspect of his character. The same included extensive training to gain weight and build a boxer’s physical figure. The film’s producer spoke about the same while discussing the film’s authenticity, saying, “We wanted everything to look as credible as possible—starting with the appearance of the hero [Eryk Kulm’s character, Jędrzej Czernecki], as well as through the fight and the atmosphere of the world in which he had to build a career. It required a lot of work and even more sacrifices.”
Read More: Best Movies About Boxing on Netflix
