There are movies about Olympic champions I think many of you have seen where the focus is on how they overcome challenges and make their country proud and inspire us with their hard work and determination, but don’t you think not every story ends with a gold medal? After all, there are many athletes who dream big and fight hard, but still don’t achieve what they hoped for. Their stories are just as important, as they reflect real life, where things don’t always go as planned. The new Netflix Polish film, Boxer, directed by Mitja Okorn, revolves around Jedrzej, who is a young man from communist Poland, who for the first time, doesn’t just want to win an Olympic medal; but wants to escape to England, get rich, live in a grand mansion, and become a household name—not like his father, Edwin, who was once celebrated for his Gold Medals and championships but then forgotten like so many other athletes. But in the end, his desire for luxury becomes his own worst enemy, and hence, becomes responsible for his downfall. So, what happens to Jedrzej in the end? Did he turn his life around? Let’s find out.
Spoilers Ahead
Why did Jedrzej want to leave for England?
Jedrzej’s father, Edwin, was a famous wrestler in Poland who won medals and made his country proud, all thanks to the training he received from Jedrzej’s uncle, Czesiek. But there was a huge problem—President Konstanty, who wanted to work with Soviet Russia, forced Edwin to lose a match against his Russian opponent for political reasons, and even threatened his family if he didn’t comply. Edwin had always dreamed of becoming a famous champion, but he knew that if he disobeyed Konstanty, his family would suffer, and to Edwin, his family meant more than any medal or title. Therefore, Edwin lost the match, and overnight, the country turned on him, where he was once celebrated in all the newspapers, he was now seen as a failure, blamed for losing Poland’s glory. This hit Edwin hard, and Jedrzej saw firsthand how fame could go away just like that, and how it affected his father, who too started to believe he was a failure. That’s why he made Jedrzej focus on school instead of wrestling, and forced him to study and get good grades, as he believed that this sport had given him nothing but disappointment. Jedrzej also tried hard to make his father proud, and even got the highest score in class one day and rushed home to share the news. But when Jedrej got there, he found his father lying on the floor—dead from lung cancer and depression. This shook Jedrzej deeply, and it made him determined to prove to everyone that he was just like his father. He maybe just wanted to make his father proud for once in his life, and for that, he started to train with Uncle Czesiek at the gym, and just like that, he won his first championship. But more than the victories, what really brought him joy was meeting Kasia, who was a chemistry major who fell in love with him, and within just three weeks, they were married. That was the happiest time of their lives. They lived in a small apartment and did not have any money, and Kasia and Jedrzej even stole bricks from construction sites to build their own bathtub.
Kasia was a simple girl who didn’t care about fancy things; she just wanted a peaceful life with her husband and maybe pursue his career and finish her studies. However, Jedrzej wasn’t content with that, as he had bigger dreams. He didn’t want to be just another boxing champion who ended up doing commentary on sports channels. As I said, he wanted more—wealth, fame, a life beyond the chaos of communist Poland, where basic rights weren’t even met, and violence was everywhere. He felt stuck, and knew that if he wanted the extraordinary life he dreamed of, he had to leave Poland and go to England. They knew it would be risky, because if Jedrzej left, he could never box in Poland again. The government might strip him of his medals, even his freedom. But he was willing to take that chance. His uncle, Czesiek, helped him by arranging a fake passport for Kasia, since he and his uncle would be traveling as a boxer and his trainer, Kasia needed her own identity as well. Even though the passport checker, Wladek, was suspicious of their story and took their passports, they eventually made it to England, ready to chase the life they had always dreamed of.
Why would Jedrzej sign a contract with Henryk?
After Jedrzej and Kasia arrived in England, they tried to enter a championship there, but their real goal was to get noticed by the famous boxer Neil McKavanagh and join his gym. Jedrzej hoped Neil would represent him in upcoming matches. But to Neil, guys like Jedrzej came and went, and he wasn’t interested in taking a chance on some unknown “champion” from Poland. Still, Jedrzej was determined to prove himself when he got a chance to fight Neil’s top boxer, Roy Berber. Even though Roy beat him badly and broke his wrist, Jedrzej’s performance caught the eye of a big shot at the gym named Jackie Boss, who offered him a deal—if Jedrzej could fight top boxers and lose, he would pay Jedrzej. It wasn’t the offer Jedrzej had hoped for, but with a pregnant wife and both of them struggling after being taken to an immigration center for their fake passports, they desperately needed money, because with Jedrzej’s badly injured wrist, Kasia, who was supposed to finish university, had to work double shifts at a hotel to make ends meet. With their son being born, things got even harder, so they even thought of going back to Poland as they realized that life in England wasn’t turning out as they had hoped. But Jedrzej couldn’t give up on his dream, therefore, he had to swallow his pride, take the deal, and decided to fight for Jackie, lose the matches, and take the money to support his family. Then, out of nowhere, his uncle Czesiek arrived, who was obviously not happy at all with the situation. He didn’t want his nephew to lose on purpose—he wanted Jedrzej to win. And guess what? Jedrzej ended up winning a fight and went against his deal with Jackie. But his performance in the match caught another sponsor, Henryk’s attention. Henryk wanted to sign Jedrzej and promised him everything he had dreamed of—a big penthouse, a fancy car, luxury clothes, shoes—all of it, as long as he kept winning. This was exactly what Jedrzej had come to England for in the first place. He was finally happy, as things were finally looking up!
How did Jedrzej’s downfall start?
When Jedrzej finally got the money and fame he had always dreamed of, he lost sight of the most important things in his life—his family. He switched trainers and worked under a man named Pierre, and began to chase fame relentlessly. And that is how Jedrzej started an affair with a famous journalist named Eva, with whom he started flirting and sleeping around while she helped him get prime-time interviews on TV. Jedrzej even forgot his son’s birthday. Kasia had sacrificed so much for him, she had given up her dreams, left Poland, worked double shifts in England, all to support Jedrzej’s goals. But now, she realized that he didn’t care about her or their family, and that she would never be appreciated or acknowledged, so Kasia decided to leave and took their son with her, walking away from the toxic, luxurious life that she had never signed up for. And guess what? Jedrzej barely noticed it—he was too busy replacing Kasia with Eva and sank deeper into his new lifestyle, and things spiraled out of control from there. Jedrzej became addicted to cocaine, started losing fight after fight, and soon realized he was drowning in debt. Henryk, the sponsor who had promised him all the luxury, wanted his money back, as Jedrzej wasn’t winning enough to cover the rent or the lifestyle he was living. It hit him hard—he realized too late how much Kasia had meant to him and how big of a mistake he had made. During this time, his uncle Czesiek, the man who had always believed in him, committed suicide. Even when Kasia came to pay her respects at the funeral, she handed Jedrzej divorce papers to officially put an end to their relationship. That was when reality fully hit him, as Jedrzej realized there was nothing left for him in England, the people he loved most had left him and he could not chase his dream anymore. Therefore, he decided to leave England and return to his home in Poland.
In the end, we see Jedrzej trying to become a better person as he finally understood the weight of what had happened to his father, how President Konstanty had forced Edwin to lose his last match. Jedrzej used this knowledge to confront Konstanty by threatening to reveal the truth unless he gave back his uncle Czesiek’s gym. Konstanty, not wanting any trouble, returned the gym, and with that small space, Jedrzej started training children, kids around his own son’s age, who dreamed of becoming boxers. Maybe he wanted to honor his father and his uncle’s dreams. He realized that maybe this was what he had always wanted, not fame or wealth, but a sense of purpose and a peaceful life, hence he finally comprehended why his father chose to protect his family over chasing medals and glory. Because when you don’t have your loved ones by your side, success feels empty, doesn’t it? As for Kasia, we don’t know what the future holds for their relationship. But it’s clear that she likes this new version of Jedrzej a lot more, one who believes in their son’s dreams, rather than pressuring him to become a boxer. Perhaps this setback is what he needed to become a better human being.
