There is a sense of moral corruption that pervades the intriguing and mostly winning Polish drama series Glitter (Brokat), in which three women navigate their future in the male-centric Poland of the 1970’s.
Helena (Magdalena Poplawska), Pola (Wiktoria Filus) and Marysia (Matylda Giegzno) have a couple of things in common.
They are smart, attractive women, who seek to live independently, but dabble in prostitution to make a living and are thwarted in their aim by the men in their lives.
But there is more. Helena actually works as an agent for the secret service, her job luring men to their doom.
Pola is a young mother, who seeks Helena’s advice when she loses the license to her shampoo shop. And Marysia is a student who uses sex as a way to get what she wants, at least in the short term, and is also courted by the secret service to work for them.
I sometimes have a problem with films and series about prostitution, because they can be exploiting the very thing they are criticizing. And in way, that’s true with Glitter, which has its share of gratuitous nudity.
But as a whole, the good outweighs the bad. Glitter offers a glimpse of a world that is full of superficial sophistication with a cesspool of moral depravity lying underneath.
The lead characters, played by three terrific actresses, are strong and sharply defined, even though their motives are not always obvious to the casual observer, or even to themselves.
This is no simple tale of female empowerment, but a careful examination of the difficult circumstances the three leading ladies find themselves in, while trying to maintain a sense of agency in their lives.
Survival, however, is the main goal, and to achieve that they sometimes have to sacrifice both body and soul.
I like the romantic or even sentimental songs on the soundtrack. I like the writing and the way both the stars and supporting were directed by the various filmmakers.
I also like the way the series was filmed, the soft lighting evoking a certain nostalgia for a time that was, in a way, rotten to the core.
All in all, the artistic team has given the series a definite arthouse allure, which may prove a little too vague for a larger audience. But I hope its seductive yet ambiguous pleasures will be enough to give us a second season.
EN SI MUY FRIA CON SEXO EN DEMASIA
ES UNA PELICULA SIN SENTIDO ABUSAN DEL SEXO SIN PROTECCION ADEMAS MUESTRAN A LA MUJERES POLACAS DE ESA EPOCA QUE SI QURIAN PROGRSAR HAY QUE PAGAR CON SEXO. DEMAS TANTO SEXO EN LA PELICULA UNA YA NO ADMIRA EL SEXO QUE SE MUESTRA LLAGA UNO A SENTIR PENA VERGUENZA ASI LA MUJER MUY MA SI NO MALISIMA CON ESTA SON TRE PELICULAS POLACAS EN DIFERENTES EPOCAS Y SON MU MALA NETFLIX DEBERIA SER MAS EXTRICTO AL ESCOJER ESTE TIPO DE PELICULAS YA QUE VEO QUE LA CRITICA ASI LO DICE NO LLEGA A UN SEIS DE POR LO MENOS