Irena's Vow (2023)

A Polish nurse risks her life to hide Jewish people in the cellar of a home where she works for a German officer.

The story

During the Holocaust, Irena Gut Opdyke works as a housekeeper for a German Army officer, Major Eduard Rügemer. Despite the extreme danger posed by the occupying forces, Irena secretly uses her position to shelter and protect Jewish people. She hides them in the cellar of the home where she is employed, navigating a perilous existence of secrecy and bravery to save lives under the nose of the German military.

First release year

2023

Runtime (minutes)

121

Production countries

Canada; Poland

Original languages

English

Directors

Louise Archambault

Writers

Dan Gordon · writer; Dan Gordon · writer

Cast and characters

Sophie Nélisse · Irena Gut Opdyke; Dougray Scott · Major Eduard Rügemer; Andrzej Seweryn; Eliza Rycembel; Maciej Nawrocki; Aleksandar Milicevic; Tomasz Tyndyk; Nela Maciejewska

Genres

war drama

Themes

bravery; secrecy; protection; Holocaust

Tone and mood

powerful; subtle

Premise and plot tags

historical; war; biographical; drama

Source material / true-story basis

Irena's Vow by Dan Gordon

Reception

Metacritic assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars.

Reported review scores

Metacritic · score: 77 · scale: 100 · review count: 4

Awards and nominations

Audience Award · Vancouver International Film Festival · 2023 · Winner; LIUNA People's Choice Award · Windsor International Film Festival · 2023 · Winner; WIFF Prize in Canadian Film · Windsor International Film Festival · 2023 · Nominee

Production trivia

The film was shot in 2022 in Warsaw and Lublin, Poland.

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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