Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Heweliusz’ follows the investigation into the sinking of the titular ship, leading to a series of events that raise more questions with each revelation. The story focuses on the trial that aims to assign blame to Captain Andrzej Ułasiewicz, who went down with the ship. The audience follows the perspective of Captain Piotr Binter, who is surprised to discover the presence of government personnel, particularly relating to the military, shortly after the ship’s mayday call. He is introduced to Major Artur Ferenc, who remains a major presence until the verdict is delivered on the responsibility of the ship’s tragedy. With the story dramatising the real-life events surrounding Heweliusz’s sinking, the character of Major Ferenc is a source of major intrigue in the show. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Major Ferenc is a Fictional Addition to Heweliusz’s Story
While ‘Heweliusz’ is inspired by the true story of the ship’s sinking and the subsequent investigation, the show takes creative liberties in presenting the story to the audience. Major Ferenc is also a product of that fictionalisation. In real life, there is no particular record of a man of that name, especially regarding the investigation into the case of Heweliusz. The show’s creators utilized the character to present a side of the story that has remained mysterious and unexplained to this day. In the show, it is heavily implied that the ship was carrying a cargo that was loaded on it at the last moment, which significantly contributed to its overweight condition. The true nature of the cargo’s contents is not revealed, but it is implied that it is related to a military project. In real life, no such thing was ever proven in the case, which renders the entire arc speculative on the part of the show’s writers.
Still, there were a few unexplained things in real life. For example, it is believed that the ship was overloaded by approximately thirty tonnes of undeclared cargo, which serves as a major missing piece in understanding what really caused the sinking. The show’s writers have used this loose end in the investigation to spin their own version of what was a possibility. Since the cargo’s mysterious nature has led people to wonder if there was military involvement, the show leans in that direction, which is where the character of Major Ferenc comes into the picture. At first, he appears under the guise of investigating the case and ensuring it’s not a terrorist attack or otherwise. Later, however, we discover that not only did he know exactly what was in the cargo, but he was also there when it was loaded onto the ship.
Ferenc’s character serves as a reference point through which the audience can understand the level of corruption in the government and the shipping company, and how it is suspected that certain individuals in positions of power may have colluded to conceal their own culpability in the matter. Ferenc becomes the instrument of intimidation, as he tries to scare and bribe people into giving false testimonies to make it look like Captain Ułasiewicz was drunk the night before and was majorly, if not solely, responsible for the crash. He represents the invisible forces that work in the background to ensure that things happen exactly as the higher powers intend them to. This is why the show, too, presents Ferenc as mysterious and indecipherable, as we know nothing about who he really is and who sent him. With that, the writers manage to concoct an explanation while also keeping some things in the dark, acknowledging that we may never truly get to the bottom of the truth.
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