Netflix’s Daring New Murder Mystery Will Keep You Guessing Until the Very End

The big picture

• The mystery of Monika's murder
  Colors of Evil: Red
  keeps you guessing with a gripping whodun story and twist ending.
• Director Adrian Panek creates a somber atmosphere that adds to the suspense of the psychological thriller in this Polish hidden gem.
• Maja Ostaszewska's powerful performance as a distraught mother searching for answers shines in a film full of red herrings and unexpected twists.

One of the best things about Netflix is ​​its commitment to making international feature films available to people around the world. The streamer's latest hidden treasure comes from Poland, and it's called Colors of Evil: Red. Based on the novel by Małgorzata Oliwia Sobczakthe film is a taut psychological trope that delivers two solid hours of twists and turns that end with an unexpected and satisfying conclusion. Adrian Panek directs a crisp and well-acted film that is a showcase for some of Poland's best performers, including Maja Ostaszewska, Jakub Gierszałi Zofia Jastrzębska like Monika, a beautiful, free-spirited young woman whose murder leaves an endless stream of potential killers. At the time Colors of Evil: Red throws you a final curveball, you feel like you've been on an emotional roller coaster full of well done red herring.

What is “Colors of Evil: Red” about?

Monika Bogucka is an energetic and vibrant daughter of a local Polish Tricity judge, Helena (Ostaszewska). Although she comes from a stable legal family, she is determined to venture out and make her way in the world by doing her own thing. When she gets a job as a waitress at a local nightclub, she's headed in the right direction. But when she starts dating her physically abusive manager, Waldemar Mila (Wojciech Zielinski), also attracts the attention of club owner and ruthless crime lord Lucasz “Kazar” Kazarski (Przemysław Bluszcz). When Maria appears naked and face down, after washing up on a Polish beach, there is no shortage of suspects in his murder. Inspector Leopold Bilski (Gierszal) must navigate through a litany of his many admirers to discover who committed the heinous act and took his lips as a souvenir. Monika's mother, Helena, also becomes involved in the investigation to deal with her shock and grief over her daughter's untimely death. Meanwhile, she also has an affair with medical examiner Tadieusz Dubiela (Andrzej Konopka), who has a dirty little family secret that will be key to unraveling the mystery of Monika's murder.

Adrian Panek Uses Harsh Environment to Add Suspense to 'Color of Evil: Red'

Panek takes the novel's source material and skillfully provides the audience with at least five potential suspects to set up the whodunit aspect of Colors of Evil: Red. But beyond that, he uses the gritty, cloudy atmosphere of the Polish seaside town as a character in itself to add to the macabre tone of the film. Make no mistake; it's a dark, gritty psychological thriller that weaves together a compelling murder mystery along the way. Panek suffocates the viewer with a general sense of despair and hopelessness before ratcheting up the emotions through the urgency of a devastated mother and a determined inspector who leads the audience down a winding and suspenseful path to find the person responsible. of such a heinous murder of a young and innocent woman.

'Colors of Evil: Red' also borrows from some well-known psychological thriller directors

When crime scene investigators drag Monika's body away, the shot of his face is a raw and viscerally chilling moment in the film. Not only is she purple and swollen, but her eyes are a milky white and her lips have been cut from her face, leaving her teeth and gums exposed. The method of this particularly gruesome moment is very reminiscent of some of the black body horror we've seen from master directors like David Fincher in September (specifically the exciting scene in “Gluttony”). That's high praise that doesn't come easy, but Panek certainly delivers on similar, narrow traits.

Also, the wide shots and angles he uses are reminiscent of the hard right angles and linear techniques of Michael Mann in movies like heat and the film version of Man hunter. Many of the heavily armed police scenes will also remind viewers heat. The murky, silent ambient atmosphere is also particularly Mann-esque, with a hint of M. Night Shyamalan in how he used his funds to become another mysterious character in films like the town i unbreakable. The film's twist ending may not be up to par The sixth sense, but what is it? This is the heady enterprise that Panek is replicating, and while Colors of Evil: Red it may have some distance to cover, it still has brilliant storytelling and great pieces.

Maja Ostaszewska shines as a distraught mother who wants answers

Several things make this Polish thriller stand out. First, it masterfully creates a suspenseful whodunit with its troubling story. But of all the characters Colors of Evil: Red, the one performance that emerges as the most memorable is Maja Ostaszewska as the emotionally broken mother, Helena. From the heartbreaking moment he has to identify his daughter at the morgue, he is as believable as a horribly traumatized father going through the internal turmoil of losing his only child. One of the most emotional scenes in the film is when he enters the rough sea water, in an attempt to kill himself. She is saved by her husband, Roman (Andrzej Zielinski), but his inner turmoil is so palpable that it's impossible to take your eyes off him when he's on screen.

When Helena discovers she's been closer to the killer and his accomplice than she ever knew during the climactic reveal, their reaction is just the right amount of despair and disbelief, emphasizing the solid twist ending. Ostaszwska anchors the talented and compelling cast impressively. Colors of Evil: Red it's an international film that would still be easy to follow without subtitles because of the physical accuracy of the game pieces and players, but is definitely better with the help of subtitles.

Colors of Evil: Red is currently available to stream on Netflix in the United States

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