Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Heweliusz’ follows an investigation into the sinking of the eponymous ship, and the blame game that leads the truth to be buried forever. The story begins with Captain Piotr Binter receiving a call in the middle of the night, informing him that the ship Heweliusz, helmed by Captain Andrzej Ułasiewicz, has issued a mayday call. The problem is that the ship is caught in the middle of a hurricane, and with the comms systems down, there is little to no way to help them. Once the storm passes and the true scale of the ship’s tragedy comes to light, Binter finds himself as one of the only few people who are interested in finding the truth. His story takes such shocking turns, driven by the discoveries he makes, that the viewer is left in awe of the truth behind the events surrounding him. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Captain Piotr Binter Examines the Truth Behind Heweliusz
‘Heweliusz’ is based on the true story of the sinking of the Polish ship of the same name. The five-episode series utilizes facts surrounding the case to construct a narrative that provides an empathetic glimpse into the lives of the victims and their loved ones. However, since many aspects of the case remain out of view, the show relies on fictional renderings of events and characters to uncover the truth, or at least form a plausible version of events. The character of Captain Piotr Binter is also one of those fictional additions to the story. In the show, Binter is introduced as the second-in-command of Heweliusz ’s Captain Andrzej Ułasiewicz.
After the ship’s crash, he is considered lucky for not having been on call that day, due to which he did not board the ship and survived. Later, he is made a part of the jury that oversees the trial, where he is the only one who tries to understand what truly happened that night, rather than making Ułasiewicz the fall guy. His quest for truth leads him to discover the presence of another ship, named Kempen, which he believes led Ułasiewicz to make the decision to turn about, ultimately leading to the sinking. In real life, there was no one with the name or the character arc of Binter. While a trial did take place and Captain Ułasiewicz’s name did come up as the person, at least partly, responsible for the ship’s sinking, no proof of Kempen’s existence, or that of any other ship so close to Heweliusz’s radar, was ever found. This makes Binter’s entire arc a work of fiction, and an attempt by the show’s creators to give an explanation of what may or may not have happened the night of Heweliusz’s sinking.
Captain Binter Has a Shocking Similarity With a Real Ship Captain
Interestingly, there was a man named Bolesław Hutyra, who, reportedly, has some similarities with Captain Piotr Binter’s character. Hutyra was the real-life deputy of Captain Ułasiewicz, and he hadn’t been on board when Heweliusz sank. However, he wasn’t known to have been a part of the investigation into the ship’s sinking, and was most likely not on the jury either. Whether or not he investigated on his own also remains unclear. However, he did appear as a witness during the trial. He was reportedly not allowed to speak further after claiming that the greed of business and the pursuit of making money were significant causes of the ship’s sinking. He is also said to have helped the victims’ families after the tragedy and was involved with organisations that looked into the truth concerning other ships and similar incidents.
His career was also marked by activities that expressed his anti-authoritarian leanings and his consistent fight for the people, making him quite an interesting figure, especially in the country’s political climate. There is one interesting detail that Hutyra shares with Binter’s arc on the show. In the Netflix series, Binter’s search leads him to discover a tape that proves the existence of Kempen and could become instrumental in clearing Ułasiewicz’s name, while also drawing attention towards the mistakes made by the shipping company as well as the involvement of the state, especially concerning the cargo whose contents were not revealed to the public. While returning home with his findings, he has a car accident where he collides with a truck. At first, the accident appears to be terrible luck on Binter’s part, but then, we see the truck drive away without trying to help him. This makes the whole thing look utterly suspicious.
In real life, Hutyra’s death also happened under similar circumstances, raising some questions that went unanswered. He passed away in an accident on September 15, 2000, while on his way to the Ministry of Treasury, after his car collided with a road machine. The suspicious aspect of the case was that, reportedly, there was no apparent reason for the collision to have occurred. The road was straight and in good condition. The weather was also clear, so there would have been no obstruction in visibility. Moreover, reportedly, there were no skid marks on the crash site. These questions around the crash remain unanswered to this day, raising grave suspicions about what really happened to him. The Netflix series borrows this element for Binter’s storyline, creating a common ground between him and Hutyra, though their stories remain significantly different otherwise.
Read More: Is Captain Piotr Binter Dead? Who Killed Him? What Happened to the Tapes?
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