''BringBackAlice'' (also known as ''#BringBackAlice'' and ''Bring Back Alice'') is a 2023 Polish

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

television

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

. It was released on

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

on 14 April 2023.

Premise

Alicja Stec, a popular social media influencer in Tri-City, goes missing. A year later, she reappears, but with no recollection of the previous year. Tomek Bielecki, a local drug dealer, suspects that Alicja's disappearance may be connected to the disappearance of his sister, Weronika.

Cast

* Helena Englert as Alicja Stec * Sebastian Dela as Tomek Bielecki * Bartłomiej Deklewa as Patryk Kubicki *

Katarzyna Gałązka Katarzyna Gałązka (born 11 January 1997) is a Polish actress. Biography Gałązka was born in Ostrołęka, where she began acting at Klub Oczko and Ostrołęcka Scena Autorska. She graduated from the National Academy of Dramatic Art in 2020. ...

as Monika Lenart * Vitalik Havryla as Janek Wojda * Marcel Opaliński as Michał Czapski * Mila Jankowska as Paula Czapska * Marieta Żukowska as Sabina Stec, Alicja's mother *

Jowita Budnik Jowita Budnik (née Miondlikowska; born 28 November 1973) is a Polish actress. Budnik was born in Warsaw and studied at the University of Warsaw. She made her film debut in 1985 at the age of 11 in Radosław Piwowarski's ''Kochankowie mojej ma ...

as Inspector Marta Werner * Stanisław Linowski as Luka Czapski * Natalia Iwańska as Weronika Bielecka, Tomek's sister * Marcin Stec as Alicja's father * Adam Cywka as Oskar Czapski * Małgorzata Biela as Sergeant Laura Bartos * Wojciech Ziętek as Łukasz *

Sandra Drzymalska Sandra Drzymalska (; born 24 July 1993) is a Polish actress. Career She was awarded a master's degree in dramatic acting from the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków in 2017. She played a minor role in the 2019 drama film '' Sole' ...

as Oliwia Górska * Anita Szepelska as Sonia Smolikowska * Małgorzata Szczerbowska as Tomek and Weronika's mother * Sandra Korzeniak as Milena, Janek's mother and a psychotherapist * Rafał Kowalski as Kamil * Feliks Szajnert as Flis

Episodes

Production

The series was filmed in

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

Gdynia Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...

, and

Sopot Sopot (; or ) is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomerania Province and has the City with powiat ri ...

—also known as Tri-City () in Poland.

Reception

Natalia Nowecka, writing for

Radio Eska Radio Eska is a commercial radio station in Poland. Part of the ''Time Radio Group'', Eska's sister stations include Eska Rock, Vox FM and Eska2. It is the third radio station in terms of listenership in Poland. The headquarters of Radio Eska S ...

, considered the series overly derivative of American teen dramas and called it "masochistic entertainment" made by "creators

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

are almost ashamed of their Polishness and try to hide it at all costs". Małgorzata Major of ''Wirtualnemedia.pl'' praised the show's casting, but found the show formulaic. Zuzanna Macieszko of ''Ciąg Dalszy Nastąpi'', a

student publication A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...

of the

University of Gdańsk The University of Gdańsk () is a public university, public research university located in Gdańsk, Poland. It is one of the top 10 universities in Poland and an important centre for the studies of the Kashubian language. History The Universi ...

, concluded that the show was "a Polish version of ''Euphoria'' mixed with ''Elite''". She praised the actors' performances, especially Sebastian Dela, who played Tomek Bielecki, and the show's setting in

, but found the language used "formulaic" and the imagery unrealistic. Tomasz Zacharczuk, of ''trojmiasto.pl'', criticised the show's dialogue, calling it "pure torture", and said that the series takes a "TikTok-esque approach" which would appeal to teenage audiences. Maja Mikołajczyk of

NaTemat.pl NaTemat.pl (lit. ''OnTopic'') is a Polish language website created by Tomasz Lis on 22 February 2012. It includes a wide variety of content including latest events, politics, lifestyle, culture, social issues and economic and sports information. ...

said that the show is enjoyable due to its "visual appeal", but compared the acting to "androids pretending to be humans".

References

External links

*
BringBackAlice
' on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

{{Portal, Television 2020s crime drama television series 2020s drama television series 2020s mystery television series 2020s teen drama television series 2020s television miniseries 2023 Polish television series debuts 2023 Polish television series endings Crime thriller television series HBO Europe original programming HBO Max original programming Polish crime drama television series Polish teen drama television series Polish-language HBO original programming Polish-language television shows Polish television miniseries Television series about missing people Television shows filmed in Poland Television shows set in Pomeranian Voivodeship Works set in Gdańsk