It was identity theft with a Communist twist. Helga Steiner lived miserably in Poland during World War II, because as an Alsatian, she was technically considered German, but identified as French, and consequently suffered as a victim of both sides. When she returned home after the war, she hoped to eventually reunite with the orphaned baby she left behind. In 1977, she believes that baby grew up to be Hans Steiner, who is actually Polish Security Service Agent Jozef Wieczorek, whereas her true son is Gdansk shipyard worker Hans Bitner. The deception takes on almost Biblically archetypal dimensions in the four-episode TV-cut of director Jan Holoubek’s Doppelganger: The Double, which premieres today on Max.
At his Polish university, everyone knows “Hans Steiner” to be a conscientious Solidarity supporter, but it is all a façade. In reality, Wieczorek was groomed by his spymaster father, to assume Steiner’s identity, in order to worm his way into her family. His prime target is her brother, Helmut Steiner, an Alsatian politician and member of the European Parliament. He successfully charms MEP Steiner, but he maybe succeeds a little too much with respects to his “Uncle’s” pretty coed daughter, Nina. Unfortunately, Steiner/ Wieczorek knows their romance could endanger his not-really cousin, because his handler will do anything necessary to keep him on-mission.
Meanwhile, the real “Hans Steiner,” Hans Bitner has discovered his long-hidden adoption papers. As he pursues inquiries into the fate of his birth-mother, he inadvertently draws unwanted attention to himself. Unfortunately, as an employee of the French immigration service, Wieczorek is perfectly placed to stymie inquiries from the International Red Cross. However, the more state bureaucrats stonewall Bitner, the more his obsession deepens.
Doppelganger: The Double, the series so nice they named it twice, offers several intriguing twists on the espionage thriller. While there is plenty of cloak and dagger stuff, it is more concerned with the psychology of deception and betrayal. It also tells its story from the viewpoints of two non-traditional protagonists, a villainous undercover Communist agent and a schlubby, not particularly political family man trying to stay on the wagon.
Indeed, there is something perversely compelling about Jakob Gierszal’s performance as Steiner/Wieczorek. He constantly appears tantalizingly poised on the brink of redemption, only to zag rather than zig. Yet, it is fascinating to watch his slowly dawning realization of the failure of the Party’s harsh tactics and the hypocrisy of its ideology.
Indeed, Doppelganger should be considered just as much high tragedy as a thriller. With our benefit of historical hindsight, the audience should be keenly aware the frequent mistakes made on both sides. Of course, the West is maddeningly naïve. However, Holoubek and co-screenwriter Andrzej Golda make the Communist regime’s tactical superiority and strategic cluelessness excruciatingly clear. Even Steiner/Wieczorek soon sees it. Highly recommended as a remarkably smart spy thriller and a brutally honest depiction of how Socialist regimes protect their power, Doppelganger: The Double starts streaming today (9/10) on Max.
