A NETFLIX SERIES
THIS SERIES IS AN ARTISTIC VISION OF THE CREATORS, INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS.
ALL CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN CREATED FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE STORY.
MAY 25, 1997, WROCŁAW
I will say this.
As the mayor of this fine city,
that Pope John Paul II is visiting, is a source of great pride for me.
I totally agree, sir.
And, Mayor, do you know what the celebrations will look like exactly?
We want to greet John Paul II with a very special celebration,
and therefore, I hope the weather will be good
and that everything will work out as planned.
We've been working on these welcoming ceremonies for over a year.
So in short, I'm expecting a great celebration for our city.
-We'll be keeping our fingers crossed. -Thank you very much.
"URGENT: FLOOD ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF WROCŁAW AND SOUTH-WEST POLAND
BASED ON METEOROLOGICAL RESEARCH BY J. TREMER, M.SC."
And this is the route of the Popemobile.
Gentlemen, 1,200 policemen,
soldiers, civil defense… That should be enough for the Pope.
Moreover-- Excuse me. May I?
Is there a problem, gentlemen?
Uh, Colonel, please continue.
Yes, sir. We're going to secure the event in the typical way by means of cordons.
We'll have disguised Special Ops teams in the crowd. Is that correct, Chief Talarek?
Yes, sir. We'll send our best men.
There is only one crucial spot.
Here, by the Szczytnicki Weir, there's a narrowing.
They're doing work on the riverbanks.
So we'll need to close this section to onlookers.
Then we'll do just that.
Speaking of the weir, have we done any preparations in case of a major flood?
What flood?
It's not raining. There's a drought, right?
Who wrote this?
Tremer? Who's he, anyway?
SIX WEEKS LATER
TUESDAY, JULY 8, 1997, ŻUŁAWY WETLANDS
Moja! Moja!
Oh, fuck!
Stay back, stay back, stay back, stay back.
-Stay back, boys. -Damn!
I've got perfect aim! Fine piece, huh?
Why do you look so sad, missy? The herd needs to be thinned.
-Shoot your own dick off. -What did you just say?
You'll pay for this, asshole! She was with a fawn.
What are you, crazy? Oh, fuck!
Yeah, I'm fucking crazy! Give me your papers.
-What papers? -Your fucking hunter's ID.
What? What hunter ID?
-Don't touch me! -This fucking ID!
Let's go. Moja, Szelma!
Szelma!
Oh! I brought the newspapers.
I'm sick of this damn motorbike. You piece of junk.
How's it going?
We have to go to town today. I'm running out of methadone.
Why are you still taking it?
CATACLYSM: IS POLAND FACING A MILLENNIUM FLOOD?
You don't need it anymore.
Cut it out, will you? You shouldn't have talked me into this shit.
It's the best thing I've ever done.
Plus, you don't want me to be as bitchy as my mother.
If she's bitchier than you, it's good I haven't met her.
Same to you. Pow-pow-pow!
So much smoke.
What about your home smoker? The whole Żuławy stinks!
Who's this?
An idiot who shot a doe.
She was with a little fawn.
-Is that why you're so mad? -Yes.
Why don't we make a little fawn today?
I haven't showered yet.
That's why you turn me on.
What is your name?
What is your name, sir?
Van Hoek. Arjen Van Hoek!
Van Hoek? Tremer! I'm looking for Tremer!
That's me! I'm Tremer.
Ha! Really?
-Yes! -You have to come with us.
-What does he mean, "Come?" -It'll be okay, Arjen.
-What are you doing? -I have to help them.
Van Hoek, you shouldn't get so angry.
Your little miss will be home before you even know it. Let's go.
I saw that Van Hoek has a smoker.
Where'd he learn that? Not in his country, I guess.
Why not?
They don't have any forests, so they have nothing to smoke with.
What? Are you afraid of flying?
The flight itself isn't scary. Landing…
-Landing is the worst. -Yeah, I know.
Lt. Colonel Macioszek, my deputy.
-Hi there. -Hey.
Please, get in. You can go ahead, miss. Sit in the back.
Are they going to the flood?
-Nah. NATO exercises. -And the sandbags?
They're reinforcing trenches.
It's from the Holy Father.
You know he paid us a visit at the beginning of June.
I tell you what. What a humble man he is.
-It was pouring then. Eh, Macioszek? -Yes, sir.
And there he was, standing in his hat with that tassel,
listening to our brass band in the rain. I tell you.
So he wouldn't offend anyone.
-So, are you a believer? -No, I'm not.
-It's been a while since you've been here. -Yup.
Big changes. Many changes.
CLOUDLESS FUTURE FOR POLAND: JAKUB MARCZAK
Why so late? Everyone's here.
I wanted to show Miss Tremer a bit of the city.
She's not here on a sightseeing trip. You understand?
-Welcome. -Hey.
I understand safety measures, but the 20th floor?
Isn't that a bit extreme?
You're next to a TV station?
Yes, hence the 20th floor. You know what they say. Keep your friends close
but your enemies even closer.
MERCURY TELEVISION
Hello.
Hello, everyone.
This is Miss Tremer. Let's maybe introduce ourselves.
-Dr. Sławomir Góra. -Hello.
He's responsible for the specialist hospital here in Wrocław.
-Hello. -Pleasure, ma'am.
This is Police Chief Andrzej Talarek.
-And this is our… -Oh, sorry.
Our HQ assistant, Maja Kruk.
-Hi. -Take a seat, please.
Okay.
You already know Colonel Czacki and Lt. Colonel Macioszek,
and these are our hydrology experts.
Professor Jan Nowak, head of the Hydrogeology Department.
And this is Dr. Piepka.
I was actually against bothering you.
We're doing quite well here already. We really don't need any of your support.
Exactly. I don't know if you've heard of the study by Professor Nowak,
"Alluvial Fans and Regulating Flood Control of Rivers in their Lower Course."
-A groundbreaking work in flood control. -Yeah.
But Wrocław is in the middle course of the river.
Uh, the head of the Fire Department, Chief Kolski,
will join us later with more information.
We're still waiting for the mayor.
What about you, Mr. Marczak?
-What about me? -What's your role here?
Uh…
-I'm acting Province Governor. -And where's the actual governor?
He went to the US to handle contracts for the province.
Ah. He chose an interesting time to be absent.
And you studied at Utrecht, didn't you? A doctorate?
-Uh-huh. -But no degree, right?
You just seem too young.
That's correct. I much prefer field work to theory.
But why the Netherlands?
Why didn't you want to stay in Poland?
There are no coffeeshops.
-What? -No legal pot.
-Hello! -Hello, sir.
I sincerely apologize for being late.
But as they say, nobody's perfect.
Mr. Mayor, this is Miss Tremer. She just arrived.
Ah! The fax you sent almost gave me a heart attack, Miss Tremer.
I only draw conclusions from various sources.
-Mr. Marczak told me about you. -He couldn't stop praising me?
Yes, precisely.
All right. Let's get started now, because there isn't much time.
Professor Nowak, do we have any new data?
My calculations clearly show that Wrocław can sleep peacefully.
Last night, Kłodzko was flooded.
Floods hit Kłodzko at least once a decade, you know. It's nothing unusual.
Still, the water is coming closer to Wrocław.
-Kłodzko isn't Wrocław. -That's much worse.
What do you mean?
Well, Kłodzko gets hit by major floods typical in the mountains,
and there, most of the water floods the city but tends to leave quickly.
In Wrocław, if the river overflows its banks, the water will stay here.
-It has nowhere to go. -Except Wrocław won't have an overflow.
-Do we even know today's water levels? -Yes. Alarm levels are slightly exceeded.
Well, not so slightly. By several centimeters.
-How many exactly? -Just slightly.
Gentlemen, can any of you please tell me at which point of your so-called
flood management protocol are we at right now?
Let me explain.
We're at point one. The locks have been raised, the weirs have been cleared,
and right now we're releasing water from Gierżoniów.
And this is your final response to the flood?
This is published by Professor Teuffel, a giant in hydrology.
Well, that's great. You're still using data from the 60s.
You undermine everything!
Excuse me. Everyone!
We all care about the same thing, the safety of the people in this city.
You men don't agree on what it's going to look like when the flood hits Wrocław.
That's why we invited you and your expert opinion.
Trust me, it's going to look very bad, Mr. Mayor.
Can you give me an answer to this question?
Which hospitals are most at risk right now?
I won't give you a precise answer without a model, but once I prepare it,
I'm going to answer all of your questions.
Will this model dispel any doubts once and for all?
We're currently dealing with a force of nature,
so there aren't any unambiguous answers and there won't be any.
We don't know much about the Oder. We've only been studying it for 50 years.
So you won't give us an answer? Do I understand that right? Huh?
I'll answer you. I'll give you many answers and they won't be unambiguous.
All right. We would like you to create a model like that for us in the meantime.
Very well. Right now, I need data. I need the flow capacity of riverbeds.
I need the speed of the Odra, here as well as upriver, but most of all,
you need to get me all current maps. Then the model will be precise. Thank you.
Mr. Marczak will provide all the necessary data. Can we do that?
-Yes, sir. -I need to measure certain things myself.
Excuse me, but what about that reservoir in Gierżoniów?
-What about it? -The water must be released.
-What? It should be happening already. -Well, yeah, but that manager is…
A bit sluggish. He wouldn't let my people go inside.
Don't worry, sir. I'll take care of it personally.
Goodbye.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Gentlemen, I believe we all know what we have to do.
I'll see everyone tomorrow. Goodbye.
Some fucking day, huh?
Like any other day, I guess.
Hi. My name's Ewa Rudzik, a reporter for Mercury TV.
Jaśmina Tremer.
-You must be Marczak's new hydrologist. -I am.
I'm sorry. You'll be dealing with cranky men.
That's nothing new.
Listen, do you know where I can smoke? Somewhere quiet.
Yeah, of course.
So some things never change, don't you think?
Things may not. People do. I saw your campaign poster.
-Pretty conservative for an anarchist. -Can't spend a life drinking cheap wine.
Sure. It's better to wait for a signal from the command center.
Tell me. Why am I here? You have intelligent experts.
You're here because you're good at what you do.
No other reason. Is that clear?
But I've changed.
I'm only asking if it's clear.
How'd it go? "Alluvial Fans and Flood--"
"The Flood Control Regulation of Rivers in their Lower Course."
-Apparently groundbreaking work. -Yeah.
All right then. Later.
Jaśka.
Just don't blow it. I'm begging you.
I got it.
-Hello? -Hey.
-Hey, sweetheart. -Are you okay?
I just wanted to hear your voice.
I feel lonely without you. When will you be back?
It's gonna take longer than I thought.
-Longer? -Yes.
-Did you feed the dogs? -Yes.
Moja fell asleep on your pillow.
-Miss you already. -I love you.
Love you too.
Have you ever flown in a military helicopter before?
Not yet.
Maybe you'd like to take a flight with me sometime, huh?
Well, maybe.
-Oh, they all say that and then-- -Good morning, sir.
Oh, good morning.
-You sleep well last night? -Kinda.
Well, let's go.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1997, NORTHERN WROCŁAW
A few years ago, the floodbanks were reinforced.
Exactly. So what are these trees still doing here?
-Well, you know. They've always been here. -I know.
-Since the Germans. -Uh-huh.
Besides, don't you think the place looks pretty with them?
-There's shade, right? -I guess.
What are you doing?
Do what I'm doing, okay? It's not a request, sir. It's an order.
Can you feel them move?
Yeah.
If the water rises two more meters, the floodbanks will flow away. Understand?
Because of your pretty trees.
Hello there.
-Hello. -We're from the province.
-What's the speed at here? -The report will be done later.
Is it already 2m/second?
1.9 in the center of the riverbed. An hour ago, it was 1.8.
Uh-huh. What about the water flow?
-Close to 2,500m. -How close?
Very close.
KĘTY WATER STATION
VOLUNTEER WATER RESCUE SERVICE
Can you pull over for a sec?
You can probably squat behind that little tree.
I won't peek at you.
I'll be right back, okay?
Excuse me!
Hello!
-Good morning. -Morning.
That's a beautiful house.
Thank you.
-The oldest in the area. -How long has that tree been yellow?
Not long. Probably some kind of parasite.
-Do you happen to have a basement? -Are you a building inspector?
Do I look like an inspector?
I'm a hydrologist, Jaśmina Tremer. I'm checking groundwater levels here.
May I see your basement?
-Do you live here? -No, my dad does.
I still live abroad.
-How long has your dad lived here? -Since the war.
-Could I have a chat with him? -No, he's in the hospital.
-Oh. -Why do you ask?
He could have told me what happened here when it flooded in the past.
He'll be back in two weeks.
Here you go.
-Completely wet. -It's wet?
It was dry a week ago.
I can't believe it.
Does your dad fish?
No way. He hates fish.
Hmm.
Hey, I need to make a call, but I only get reception there.
Sure.
-What is that viaduct over there? -It's for trains.
Before the war, trains between Opole and Wrocław used to run through it.
-See you later! -Bye.
Hello. This is Andrzej Rębacz. I wanted to find out how my father's doing.
GIERŻONIÓW RESERVOIR
-Excuse me. Where's the manager? -There somewhere.
-Mr. Woroń. What's going on here? -Good to see you.
What do you mean? The Golden Keel Regatta.
What regatta? There's a flood wave coming!
We explained that you need to empty the reservoir for retention.
-Yeah, I get that, but-- -No "buts!"
You must release the water now.
What about the stands and the podium? We've been building them for a week.
What podium stands? This decision came from the top, and it's final.
Okay, okay. I get it. "Final."
We'll do it, as soon as we can.
-What do you mean? Now! -Now.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
-Fuck this guy. -I told you he's sluggish.
July 9, sunny.
Here's the coffee. There.
Some sandwiches. Take some eggs.
-Mom, why do I need eggs? -Take them!
Make some scrambled eggs in the morning. You need to eat before your shift.
Give me five minutes.
BASIA'S MARKET
Bye.
-Oh, hi. -Ah, there you are.
-Good morning, Mrs. Basia. Here's my list. -Good morning.
-Okay. -Is there any more sourdough bread?
Uh-huh. I've kept two loaves right here for you. Here you go.
And what do we have here? What do we have?
-Pâté, cheese… -I'll grab some water.
Mrs. Basia, I've got a favor to ask.
Because, you know…
It's about…
Kuba, I listen to the radio, dear. I know you have a lot of work.
-Of course I'll help. -Thank you very much.
Wait! I've got something else for you.
-Uh-huh. -Something special!
-I've taken a bag. -Okay.
Oh, wow. Much appreciated, Mrs. Basia.
-Is that you, Kuba? -Yes, yes!
As the city prepares for Pope John Paul II…
-I didn't know you were coming today! -Magazines.
-So what's going on in politics, dear sir? -Eh…
Come on, now. Tell me. Entertain an old crone.
You know how it is. Same old thing.
-Sure about that? Kuba, my dear… -Yeah.
Can you help me get out of bed? Oh, Jesus. Hold on a second.
I need a little-- Oh, my damn bedsores
keep me awake at night. Oh, hold on! Hold on!
-All right, all right. -We did it!
Leave it! I'll do it myself.
It's okay. It's okay.
Do you know when that physical therapist is coming?
She's on vacation until the end of July.
-So what's going to happen to me? -You'll be all right.
You'll be okay.
I might be gone for a few days.
I've got a lot of work.
But I talked to Mrs. Basia and she'll help out.
-She'll handle everything. -I hate that woman! She's terribly nosy.
But it's for the best. She'll come today and make lunch.
I've got to go.
Is there something you want to tell me?
Tell me!
No. Nothing, Mrs. Tremer. I'm off. Goodbye.
Well, too bad. Thanks! Bye, Kuba. Oh, Jesus!
The bridges will hold, but the floodbanks with trees probably won't.
Ma'am, everything will hold.
Besides, there's no protocol for a flow of 3,600m.
Then maybe it should be added.
God! Can you please stop typing?
We had weeks to prepare for this situation. Weeks!
What is that? Wait. Give me a sec. What now?
Hello, everyone. Sorry I'm a little late.
And where were you?
Important business, Mr. Mayor. But I'm here now, so it's all good.
What's going on?
Miss Tremer says that Wrocław will flood!
Let me repeat, these hypotheses are bogus!
-It won't exceed 2,700! -It's already 2,500.
There's so much groundwater around Wrocław, trees are turning yellow.
-Will the police HQ be flooded? -Where is it?
On Podwale.
No, more likely Psie Pola. The northern estates are in danger.
-The city center? -It's actually pretty safe.
Enough of this nonsense!
The last time Wrocław flooded was in 1903.
We have Wrocław water junction. We have reinforced floodbanks.
This model is just mere bullshit!
If you know better than I do, then why did you invite me here in the first place?
I didn't bring you here. It was Mr. Marczak.
Excuse me. So will we need to evacuate the hospital on Traugutta?
Mr. Nowak, the hospital on Traugutta, do we evacuate it or not?
Can we at least print this model out?
-Here's your bullshit model. -Wait.
Everyone, please. Let's all try to calm ourselves down.
We're here for a reason and we should all work together. It's so important.
-What's even more important-- -Excuse me.
-What now? -Well, I've brought pizza for everyone.
Jesus Christ. You people seriously ordered pizza?
-Congratulations! -What? It's pepperoni.
Excuse me, Colonel. You can take me home.
-Macioszek, call in the helicopter. -Yes, sir.
You've made a mess and now you're leaving, huh? Why are you scaring people?
-Why are you saying such silly things? -Jaśka!
Jaśka!
Thank you all for this meeting today. Let's get back
back to our duties.
Miss Tremer has been very helpful.
-What would you do as me? -I'd pretend I didn't see that.
I'm not talking about the methadone. About the flood.
I'd open the floodbanks and create a corridor so the river can spill freely.
Meaning?
A bypass in Domaniewo. The train is good there, plus it's been done before.
What? We should blow up the floodbanks? They protect us from floods!
Kuba, floodbanks raise the water level. They're good for minor or moderate floods
but counterproductive in major flooding, and then you're in for a major flood.
And you can give me a 100% guarantee that this will help?
There's no such thing as 100%.
-So-- So what? Domaniewo? -Yes!
Where are we?
-Excuse me. Where are we? -We're just ahead of Domaniewo.
-Are you sure about that? -Yeah, I'm sure.
But… how?
There's no weir in Domaniewo. There aren't these many buildings.
Ma'am, I'm 100% sure we are where I say we are.
The river was piled up a few years ago. It feeds the Łatka Dairy,
especially those buildings below.
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP: 1967
We are so fucked.
-We have to go back. -What?
We have to go back right now.
-What are you doing here? -Who is it?
-Uh, pause the movie. I'll be right back. -There's a problem.
-What problem? -It's serious.
-What do you mean, the maps are outdated? -You tell me what it means.
-They date back to Operation Danube. -What does that mean?
It means that areas near rivers change.
-So what? -So, for example,
on the maps that I got from you, there is no weir in Domaniewo.
The weir was built for the Łatka Dairy, which is nowhere on these old-ass maps.
-You and your team gave them to me! -But what does that mean?
My God. My model is worthless and blowing up floodbanks in Domaniewo won't help.
Fuck me.
You said this is the only solution. Orders have already been issued!
Kuba, for fuck's sake, you idiot. You gave me old maps!
My flood models were relevant for 1967, all right?
-Dad, how long do I need to wait? -Klara, get back inside.
-Good evening. -Get inside!
If you need me, I'm at the Odra Hotel, okay?
Who was that woman, Dad?
A… colleague from work. A hydrologist.
-What did she want? -I can't talk now, sweetheart.
Is everyone in position? We're on standby, waiting on confirmation.
Colonel, sir?
Czacki speaking. Hello?
Hello, Colonel? Colonel, can you hear me?
Hello? Hello?
Can't hear a goddamn thing.
All right, Marek. Let's go boom and make some room.
Blow the fucker up.
NO ANIMAL WAS HURT DURING THE SHOOTING OF THE SERIES.
THIS SERIES IS AN ARTISTIC VISION OF THE CREATORS, INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS.
THE CHARACTERS AND EVENTS WERE CREATED FOR THIS STORY.