Film Review: IRENA'S VOW

Irena serving the cruel German officers at a party.

With antisemitism on the rise once again worldwide, the real-life story at the heart of of Irena's Vow is a timely reminder of just how cruel some regimes can be. And despite knowing how things turned out at the end of World War 2, still it's a taut thriller with tension building throughout its two-hour run time. 

A grim Holocaust movie set in Poland during Hitler's reign, its focus is on a young Polish girl separated from her family and forced to work as a housekeeper and cook for a powerful German General. After witnessing the incredibly brutal deaths of a mother and her infant -- you'll want to cover your eyes for this one -- Irena vows to do whatever it takes to save lives. As it happens, there are a dozen Jews working as tailors in the General's basement who are slated for death in the coming weeks, and Irena makes a complex and daring plan to save them.

First and foremost, Irena's Vow offers a gripping depiction of the unimaginable horrors endured by people who were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Superb acting by every cast member, most of them foreign actors unknown in our country, makes the story unforgettable. That said, there are several scenes that seem off-kilter and stretch believability, breaking the film's intense hold on your emotions. In the end that might be a good thing, since as it was I was sobbing on and off throughout. 

Being Jewish, I came away frightened of what's next right here in America. Everyone should see this movie, now streaming on Netflix.