48 | APRIL 25 • 2024 
J
N

A 

two-day special 
event saw the 
award-winning 
World War II film Irena’s 
Vow playing across theaters 
in Metro Detroit on April 15 
and 16. The 2023 Canadian-
Polish war drama film made 
its U.S. debut in theaters 
nationwide, premiering at 
a time of increased global 
antisemitism and drawing 
attention to enduring themes 
that still persist today.
The just over two-hour 
film is based on the true 

story of Irena Gut Opdyke, 
a Catholic-born Polish 
nurse who was recognized 
as a Righteous Among the 
Nations by Yad Vashem 
for saving 12 Jews during 
the German occupation of 
Poland. It traverses her life 
and the risks she took to keep 
a group of complete strangers 
alive during the war.
Following a bombing at a 
hospital where she worked in 
eastern Poland, 19-year-old 
Irena (Sophie Nélisse) returns 
to her family home out west. 

only to find a high-ranking 
Nazi officer at the door 
instead of her family, who 
have all but vanished.
With her Germanic looks 
and beautiful features, Irena 
is eventually recruited to 
work as a maid for Nazi 
officials at a German military 
barracks in Tarnopol (now 
Ternopil, Ukraine). There, 
she prepares meals in the 
kitchen and serves them to 
German officers.
When she accidentally 
learns of plans to liquidate 
the Tarnopol Jewish ghetto, 
Irena, despite the risk to her 
own life, vows to save the 11 
Jewish workers who work in 
the neighboring laundry and 
tailoring shop, knowing their 
lives were all at stake.

It was a sheer stroke of luck 
that the next day, German 
Major Eduard Rügemer 
(Dougray Scott) promoted 
Irena to his housekeeper, 
placing her in charge of 
keeping up his new villa 
outside of Tarnopol. There, 
Irena finds the perfect hiding 
place for her Jewish friends: 
the cellar.
Surprisingly, the villa 
was built by Jews and came 
equipped with a secret hiding 
spot no one would ever 
suspect. Sheltering the Jewish 

workers directly under the 
Nazis’ noses, Irena displays 
unimaginable courage the 
next two years keeping them 
safe and alive.
For a while, up above the 
cellar and basement countless 
Nazi parties take place with 
the officers none the wiser 
about the secret mission 
unfolding just beneath their 
feet.
Still, the plan isn’t 
foolproof. Rügemer discovers 
some of the hidden Jews, and 
blackmails Irena into working 
as his sex slave in exchange 
for keeping the secret.
Yet Irena doesn’t back 
down, sacrificing herself to 
keep the Jewish workers safe.
Eventually, the group 
escapes to the forest to join 
the partisans as the Soviet 
Army nears Tarnopol — 
bringing the number of lives 
Irena has saved up to 12 as 
one of the Jewish workers 
gives birth in the forest to 
a baby boy, Roman, in May 
1944.
At a time where 
antisemitism is arguably at 
an all-time high since the 
Holocaust, Irena’s Vow serves 
as a poignant reminder of 
the importance of standing 
up for human rights. Amidst 
the silence and blind eye 
of others, Irena faces 
antisemitism head on.
Heart-wrenching and 
inspiring at the same time, 
Irena’s Vow is a must-watch 
given today’s global events 
and the pressing need to stand 
up to hate without fear. 

You can watch Irena’s Vow for free 

(with ads) on Roku at https://tinyurl.com/

mrxrs2sx.

ARTS&LIFE
FILM REVIEW

Irena’s Vow is based on the true story of a Catholic 
Polish nurse who saved 12 Jews during the Holocaust.
An Unbreakable Vow

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

