Irena's Vow

Details:

Sophie Nelisse and Dougray Scott (Ever After, The Woman in White) star. Directed by Louise Archambault in 2023.

Running Time:

2hrs 1m

Overview:

After the invasion of Poland by the Nazi’s in 1939, Polish girl Irena Gut’s (Sophie Nelisse) world is turned upside down as her family home is turned over to the Nazis, she is separated from her family and her dreams of becoming a nurse are ended. She is brought into service as a housekeeper for a high-ranking Nazi Commandant (Dougray Scott) and is instructed to keep her head down if she wants to survive. But after witnessing the murder of a Jewish woman and her baby, Irena is galvanized to do what she can to save lives. She follows through by hiding Jewish workers in the most unthinkable place…the Nazi Commandant’s house.

What I Enjoyed:

This movie is based on the true story of Irene Gut who, after long silence, shared her tale in the later days of her life. The production creates an incredible mood of suspense that grips you to the end. It was refreshing to watch such good wartime storytelling and I was left speechless after it finished. Don’t waste anytime in viewing it!

Side note: Dougray Scott plays the old man! For those of us who remember his wavy hair and foppish smile in Ever After, the fact that he plays the aging Nazi Commandant, feels slightly devastating. But he plays the role well and the fact that I’m 27 years behind on his movie career is not his fault!

Content Consideration:

The cruelty of the Nazi’s is not underplayed, so sensitive souls will want to skip the murder of the Jewish woman and her baby…it is heart wrenching and your mama heart probably won’t be able to take it! To do this, skip from 18:56 through to 19:26. There is no sexual content or nudity.

Where to Find:

This is available for streaming on Paramount Plus or on Amazon (rental or purchase).

Further Reading:

Irene Gut Opdyke wrote a memoir which you can find here.

You can also read the book Irena’s Vow by Dan Gordon (which appears to have been the movie version turned into a novel).

If you enjoyed this story, you will also love While We Still Live by Helen MacInnes. The story follows a young British woman named Sheila Matthews who is visiting Poland in 1939. She gets stuck in Warsaw after the Nazi invasion and is swept up into the hastily assembled Polish Resistance. The book was written in 1944 and documents the aftermath of the invasion with uncanny accuracy. This book was in my top three best reads for 2024 and is one of those books that stayed with me long after I finished reading it!

The Trailer:

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