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Kasım 14, 2024
38/37
What we do is who we are
Story
Through the eyes of one determined woman, we discover the remarkable story of Irena Gut and the triumphs of the human spirit over devastating tragedy, as she risked her life to save a generation of Jews from the atrocities of the Holocaust. Although this Canadian film enjoyed a much wider theatrical release in Canada than the typical Canadian film, for some reason its distributor, Elevation Pictures, decided not to give it a substantial marketing budget. As a result, the film had little success at the box office and was pulled from most theatres after its third week of release. Irena Gut Opdyke: What does it matter who we are?
BoomMusic by Charles TrenetLyrics by Charles TrenetPerformed by Charlie and his orchestra
Following the success of The Book Thief and The Yellow Vests, Sophie Nélisse stars in this powerful and sensitive story based on true events. She plays a young Polish woman, Irena Gut Opdyke (Sophie Nélisse), who, during World War II, hid a group of Jews in the home of her boss: a high-ranking Nazi commander (Dougray Scott). Through the eyes of a strong-willed woman, unfolds the remarkable story of Irena Gut and the triumphs of the human spirit over devastating tragedy, as she risked her life to save a generation of Jews from the atrocities of the Holocaust. Who would look for a group of Jews in a Nazi’s home?
She enrolled in nursing school before the Nazi-Soviet invasion of 1939
Irena’s Wish (2023) is a biographical film about Irene Gut Opdyke (1918 – 2003), a Polish nurse who gained international fame for helping Polish Jews persecuted by Nazi Germany during World War II. She was honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem for risking her life to save twelve Jews. While hiding during the invasion, she was discovered by Russian soldiers and beaten and raped. Initially forced to work in a munitions factory during the German occupation, Gut was hired by Wehrmacht Major Eduard Rügemer to work in the kitchen of a hotel that frequently served Nazi officials when he learned she spoke fluent German.
Those who managed to survive did not remain unscathed, suffering many psychological traumas, often victims of many family losses or personal torture
The film, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, explores Irene’s anguish and fear, her relationship with the commandant, and the young woman’s determination to perform this heroic act and save the unfortunate people who were being relentlessly persecuted. A story of survival and resilience that also speaks of friendship and how, despite the harshness and isolation of life, a good girl helps the unfortunate and persecuted at all costs. Stories of survival in war, especially the Holocaust, are almost always poignant and moving, as they require a great effort to faithfully convey the suffering of the Jews who are continually harassed, either in the concentration camps or during the dangerous escapes they often made. However, some managed to live to tell their story, which they share with the world to pay tribute to those who disappeared, as well as to those who helped them stay alive.
Cameraman Paul Sarossy did some decent cinematography and it’s set in war-torn Eastern Europe
Allies and sympathizers also took great risks, which gave rise to various reasons why they might have refused to help a Jew hiding from the Nazis. The film was shot on location in Konstancin-Jeziorna, Mazowieckie, Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Lublin, Lubelskie and Modlin, Mazowieckie, Poland. There are no major special effects or war scenes as the story takes place far from the front lines, although the Jews eventually find themselves hunted by greedy Polish bounty hunters who have been promised generous rewards by the Nazis. But ultimately, it’s still a survival story that plays out from beginning to end.