What Is the Story About?
Adam (Krzysztof Oleksyn) starts behaving oddly after the death of his close friend Igor. A suspicious mother, Anna, installs spyware on his phone, which pushes him away further. What happens when Adam goes missing all of a sudden? A few dead bodies are found around the same time Adam disappears. Are they connected to missing Adam’s trial?
The basic plot is how Adam’s parents, Anna (Magdalena Boczarska) and Michal (Leszek Lichota), react to the whole situation.
Performances?
Magdalena Boczarska, and Leszek Lichota are the main protagonist of Hold Tight. They plat the parents of the missing Adam. The characters drive the narrative with their internal and external conflict.
Magdalena, as Anna Barczyk, portrays a typical mother part with ease. There is a great deal of emotion in the role, and she puts it across with ease. At times, one does feel her going overboard, but it goes well with the flow.
On the other hand, Leszek Lichota starts in a supporting role as a secondary character to the wife. However, it grows into prominence as the series progresses. During the end, he has some high dramatic portions, which are well-acted but feel needless.
Analysis
Michal Gazda and Bartosz Konopka direct the series Hold Tight. It is based on the novel by Harlen Coben.
A thriller series with the premise of a missing kid is nothing new. What makes it exciting are the setting and characters, and the overarching story. Hold Tight has an attractive background in the Warsaw suburb. Unfortunately, it falters on the other critical aspects.
We are immediately drawn into the narrative without wasting any time once the setting and the various characters are established. The pace is perfect, neither too fast nor slow and keeps one hooked. One is definitely curious to see where Hold Tight will lead and what happens at the end.
But, as the narrative progresses and the various characters’ true nature is revealed, the interest slowly vanishes. It is despite the fast-paced proceedings with something or the other happening to engage.
The mother character’s action could have been more compellingly written. She tries her best, but some of her actions justify the son’s reaction. It goes against what the narrative is trying to achieve here.
Still, the first half of the series makes one invested as the intrigue factor holds attention. The various killings and how they are linked to other characters are all okay. It drives the point of a close-knit locality well and sets up a grand reveal of sorts.
Sadly, the second half of the series, especially the revelation of the various tracks (their end), is disappointing. None have the wow factor. A few turn out cringy. They barely manage to evoke a reaction. It is that steep fall after a good set-up.
The ending has a few decent moments, but nothing works. One has lost interest by that point. The whole thing looks very ordinary when everything is known.
Overall, Hold Tight starts on a promising note and keeps one hooked on the investigation process. It fails to keep on the momentum and falls flatly and steeply towards the end. If you like thrillers, give it a try with low expectations.
Other Artists?
Apart from Adam’s parents, Grzegorz Damiecki, Julia Wyszynska, Adam Nawojczyk are fine. These three have the most likeable parts in the series. As the police officer investigating the case, Julia is good despite her short role. Her scenes with Adam Nawojczyk are well done.
The teens are all poorly written and irritating. Agata Labno, for example, starts calmly and has good moments with her father, but when it comes to the actual story progress, her acts get on the nerves. Others don’t even have these calmer moments. Krzysztof Oleksyn as Adam is mostly missing in action. Borys Gajewicz threatens to take off but never does. The rest of the actors are alright in their parts.
Music and Other Departments?
Andrzej Smolik’s background score is neat. It helps in building the right momentum and thrill feel to the proceedings. Tomasz Augustynek and Piotr Niemyjski are the cinematographers. They have done decent work. In a few parts, the editing by Andrzej Dabrowski and Piotr Kmiecik could have been better. It gives a chaotic feeling. The writing is adequate considering the series as a whole.
Highlights?
Basic Plot
Setting
BGM
Drawbacks?
Ending Of Various Tracks
Irritating Characterisations
Poor Suspense Revelation
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, In Parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, But With Huge Reservations
Hold Tight Series Review by Binged Bureau
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