‘A Girl and an Astronaut’ Netflix Series Review - A Cliché Love Triangle

A Girl And An Astronaut (Dziewczyna i kosmonauta) is a Polish Science fiction romance directed by Bartosz Prokopowicz. The story revolves around three central characters. Niko, Marta and Bogdan. It is set in 2052 with the narrative shuffling between the timeline of 2052 and 2022. 

In the year 2022, Niko who was an aviator was selected for a Russian space mission that attempted to create a stealth shuttle. A shuttle that could go undetected in space. The mission failed however and the shuttle burst, or at least that is what Marta was told. 30 years have passed and as it turns out, Niko is still alive, his space shuttle is found in orbit and returns to Earth, and what proceeds on as Marta is conflicted about her past and present forms the crux of the series’ premise. 

The show takes us across the timelines as mentioned and in doing so goes over the relationship that blossomed between Marta and Niko. The love triangle can be deemed cliche, but it works pretty well. Bogdan is stoic, by the book, and brooding whereas Niko is a chaotic and sly free spirit. The two have been together in school, high school, and pilot school and during that time have maintained a rivalry. They have a strong dislike yet respect in regard to each other. When Karolina (Niko’s sister) introduces Marta from London to the Polish pilots they both try to woo her and there are severe consequences. 

I feel that the relationship the characters share with each other is what kept the show afloat for me. Marta's extreme desire to meet Niko in 2052 while being married to Bogdan kept me curious as to what had happened back then. It is very simplistic and predictable, but it didn’t hinder the experience for me. 

The series is visually stunning. There is much to discuss how the show is in terms of plot, characters, and narrative flow. But one thing that is true without a doubt is that the show is a visual treat. The production budget is quite high and it shows. Being set in the future, the series has all kinds of futuristic technology in the background, things we have come to expect from the future, like AI home assistants, and smartphones with transparent bodies among other cool techs. It all looks simply great. The series also focuses on Niko and Bogdan’s lives as aviators and that brings in some cool sequences of flying f-16s which is also pretty impressive. The gripe that some might have with respect to the costumes and makeup is that when the characters are in 2022, it feels more like they’re in the 70s. With loud outfits and sparkling makeup. I personally liked that, considering there is a 70s revival happening these days. 

I liked the plot. It isn’t something that is extremely well-written or very sophisticated. It can be even termed as a romance drama that teenagers might enjoy. But despite that, I did enjoy watching the show quite a bit. The characters despite being one-dimensional still have chemistry between them and I think that mattered to me more. What I didn’t like however was the flimsy science in the supposed ‘science fiction’, the political drama which was uninteresting and used to drag the plot. There's no real merit in the plot overall, it is a pretty nonconsequential story. It is a bit like the definition of a series with the style and little substance. 

If you're a fan of teen love triangle dramas and have binged something like the Vampire Diaries during your teenage years. You'd probably enjoy the back-and-forth in this film between the two main leads. Other than that though, it is nothing that will interest adults looking for something with depth and meaning.

Final Score – [6/10]
Reviewed by - Aayush Chaurasia
Follow @AayushChaur44 on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times