His Dark Materials

His Dark Materials is an HBO series that is an adaptation of the trilogy written by Philip Pullman. The first season premiered in 2019. Recently, another one has appeared in which we can follow the fate of the main character named Lyra.

The action takes place in a magical world, where the lives of humans, witches, armored bears and tiny creatures intertwine. Each character has a demon at their side, who takes on an animal form and is an inseparable part of the person – their soul and subconscious.

The main character – Lyra, as an infant, is left by her relative – Lord Asriel in the Jordan College in Oxford. From the beginning we know that the girl is unique. And must be protected by the immunity of scholars to fulfill an important task in the future. She grows up in the belief that she is an orphan. She is surrounded by professors and backroom staff who give her warmth and care, but she longs for visits from her only relative.

Her best friend Roger, is a boy also without a family, despite his young age works as a kitchen helper.

The girl is on the threshold of puberty, is very impetuous and adventurous. She dreams of a big trip to the far North. Where she could join Lord Asriel, who conducts mysterious scientific research there.

One day …

… the relative shows up unannounced at the college to present the results of his research. Lyra learns of his arrival — using rooftops and gutters, secretly makes her way to the meeting room like the best parkour rider. There she witnesses Asriel’s discovery. Everyone is shocked to learn that other worlds exist, visible through the unexplained Dust. The information casts a shadow on the doctrines imposed by the Magisterium – the ruling institution which maintains the position of the existence of one proper world. 

The Magisterium is the protagonist’s main enemy and has a strongly ambiguous character. On the one hand it refers to the Catholic Church, on the other to the dictatorship and ideas of the Nazis and the control and omnipotence of the Communists. The office has an extremely dark character, the people at the head of it are closed to novelty, even backward, but also greedy. Corruption and the lust for power are the motives that lead to the Magisterium’s secret experiments, somehow related to Asriel’s research on Dust.

The key to solving the mystery turns out to be children and their dæmons, not yet finally formed. Each child possesses Dust, which allows them to see and reach mysteries that are already inaccessible to adults. Only children can contribute to opening a window to another world.

Maybe not just a fairy-tale

Despite the typically fiction-based story and fairy-tale setting, the series refers to many contemporary themes, sometimes even historical ones. For me, however, it is children who play the most important role in uncovering the mysteries. They have an irresistible energy, a way of thinking and openness that fades with age.

Children allow the adult world to develop. They enable changes in ossified structures, and they can also lead to harmony and stability.

The fact that the two child leaders have no families cannot be overlooked. They meet very different adults on their way and have to learn who to trust in order to survive. They learn from their own mistakes, as they have no other role models. However, they are extremely determined characters and are able to save others through their strength of character.

The children in the film experience many hardships by adults, but they also change the perspective of their thinking and show that innate goodness and childlike qualities offer unlimited possibilities when nurtured.

? original trailer