Irena's Vow (film)
2023 Canadian-Polish drama film
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Irena's Vow is a 2023 war drama film, directed by Louise Archambault. Written by Dan Gordon who also wrote the Broadway play Irena's Vow,[3] the film stars Sophie Nélisse as Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish nurse who helped to shelter and protect Jewish people during the Holocaust by hiding them in the cellar of the home where she was employed as a housekeeper by German Army officer Major Eduard Rügemer (Dougray Scott).[4][citation needed] The cast also includes Andrzej Seweryn, Eliza Rycembel, Maciej Nawrocki, Aleksandar Milicevic, Tomasz Tyndyk and Nela Maciejewska.[citation needed]
Tim Ringuette
Nicholas Tabarrok
Jeff Sackman
Berry Meyerowitz
| Irena's Vow | |
|---|---|
Official poster | |
| Directed by | Louise Archambault |
| Written by | Dan Gordon |
| Based on | Irena's Vow by Dan Gordon |
| Produced by | Beata Pisula Tim Ringuette Nicholas Tabarrok Jeff Sackman Berry Meyerowitz |
| Starring | Sophie Nélisse Dougray Scott |
| Cinematography | Paul Sarossy |
| Edited by | Arthur Tarnowski |
| Music by | Alexandra Stréliski |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Elevation Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 121 minutes |
| Countries | Canada Poland |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.2 million[1][2] |
The film was shot in 2022 in Warsaw and Lublin, Poland.[5][6] It premiered in the Centrepiece program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival in September.[7][8] The film was released in Canada on April 19, 2024.
Cast
- Sophie Nélisse as Irena Gut Opdyke
- Dougray Scott as Major Eduard Rügemer
- Andrzej Seweryn as Herr Schultz
- Maciej Nawrocki as Sturmbannführer Wilhelm Rokita
- Sharon Azrieli as Helen Weinbaum
- Aleksandar Milicevic as Lazar Haller
- Eliza Rycembel as Ida Haller
- Agata Turkot as Clara Bauer
- Filip Kosior as Thomas Bauer
- Krzysztof Szczepaniak as Moise Steiner
- Irena Melcer as Zosia
- Eryk Kulm as Abram Klinger
- Zuzanna Pulawska as Fanka Silberman
- Tomasz Tyndyk as Henry Weinbaum
- Rafal Mackowiak as Joseph Weiss
- Mateusz Mosiewicz as Marian Wilner
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10.[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[9][10]
Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Sophie Nélisse brings powerful subtlety to the title role in Irena's Vow, accomplishing so much with her eyes, her presence, her ability to shift demeanor and tone quickly depending on the situation."[11]
Awards and nominations
2023 Winner: Audience Award,
Vancouver International Film Festival
2023 Winner: LIUNA People's Choice Award,
Windsor International Film Festival
2023 Nominee: WIFF Prize in Canadian Film,
Windsor International Film Festival
