The Hater

The Hater (Polish: Sala samobójców. Hejter) is a 2020 Polish social thriller film directed by Jan Komasa and written by Mateusz Pacewicz. The plot centres around an expelled university student from Warsaw who attempts to steer the internet, causing widespread hatred and violence. It premiered on 6 March 2020 in Poland and went on to win the Best International Narrative Feature Award at Tribeca Film Festival.[4][5]

The Hater
Theatrical release poster
PolishSala samobójców. Hejter
Directed byJan Komasa
Produced by
  • Jerzy Kapuściński
  • Wojciech Kabarowski
Written byMateusz Pacewicz
Starring
Music byMichał Jacaszek
CinematographyRadek Ładczuk
Edited byAleksandra Gowin
Production
companies
Distributed byKino Świat
Release date
  • 6 March 2020 (2020-03-06) (Poland)
Running time
135 minutes[1][2][3]
CountryPoland
LanguagePolish
Box office$1.3 million[1]

Premise

Tomasz Giemza, a disgraced law student obsessed with the progressive, upper-class Krasucki family, takes a job at a public relations company. What seemed like just another assignment turns out to be a quickly developing troll farm, where he excels in the business of spreading fake news and online hatred targeting famous personalities, internet celebrities and politicians. With time, Tomasz begins to use his newly acquired skills in order to stalk, harass and ultimately control the Krasuckis.

Cast
  • Maciej Musiałowski as Tomasz Giemza
  • Vanessa Aleksander as Gabriela 'Gabi' Krasucka
  • Agata Kulesza as Beata Santorska
  • Danuta Stenka as Zofia Krasucka
  • Jacek Koman as Robert Krasucki
  • Maciej Stuhr as Paweł Rudnicki
  • Adam Gradowski as Stefan 'Guzek' Guzkowski
  • Jedrzej Wielecki as Staszek Rydel

Production

Principal photography began on 28 October 2018 and ended on 22 December.[6] It was primarily filmed in Warsaw and surrounding areas.[6]

The Hater is considered a sequel or a spin-off to Komasa's previous film Suicide Room (2011).

Release

The Hater was released in Poland on 6 March 2020.[6][1][3] However, a few days after its release, cinemas and movie theaters were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] It was distributed worldwide in streaming by Netflix on 29 July 2020.[2]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 22 reviews with an average rating of 7.4/10.[2] On Metacritic, it holds a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8] Ola Salwa on Cineuropa stated "The Hater is a thrilling tale of an anti-hero and of the survival of the fittest, which in this case means those who have a strong and agile thumb and index finger."[7] Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com praised the film's interesting moral narrative.[9] Variety positively reviewed the plot, stating that it "effectively integrates concerns about how easily people are manipulated".[10]

Awards

The Hater premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in the International Narrative Competition and won Best International Narrative Feature award. The jury comprised film professionals among whom were Danny Boyle and William Hurt.[4]

References
  1. "The Hater (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  2. "The Hater (Hejter) (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  3. "Sala samobójców. Hejter (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  4. Moreau, Jordan (29 April 2020). "'The Half of It,' Steve Zahn, Assol Abdullina Win Awards at 2020 Tribeca Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  5. "The Hater | 2020 Tribeca Film Festival". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  6. "Sala samobójców. Hejter". Filmpolski.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  7. Salwa, Ola. "Review: The Hater". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  8. "The Hater Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  9. Tallerico, Brian (29 July 2020). "Reviews - The Hater". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  10. Debruge, Peter (14 July 2020). "'The Hater' on Netflix: Film Review". Variety. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
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