Category: reviews

Posted on

Review: Irena’s Vow

Irena’s Vow (2023), directed by Louise Archambault, left me speechless. Based on a true story, Irena Gut, a Polish woman conscripted to serve as housekeeper to a Nazi officer in Warsaw after it fell to the Nazis, witnesses an unspeakable atrocity against a mother and infant. Powerless to do anything to protect them, she returns to work, shaken. Her supervisor, a kind German civilian, instructs her to keep to herself and survive as she can. She will—in a heartbreaking sacrifice.

Irena supervises a group of Jews forced into labor as tailors to the German officers. They become her friends, sharing the fear of their impending deaths. Irena becomes their source of information for the progression of the Nazi plan in their village. She learns they will be executed soon and acts quickly to hide them in the German officer’s cellar.

As housekeeper, Irena has the run of the household, and keeps her friends hidden for many months before being discovered. During this period, we learn about Irena’s vow to save as many lives as she can. Her vow, buoyed by her Catholic conviction, saves one more life.

In the 1980s, while living in Miami, I had the unique experience of meeting Holocaust survivors. Each personal story of survival carried with it the meaning of the dignity of the human person. When we think of the Holocaust, images from death camps spring to mind, and certainly, as the heinous end for the 6 million persons murdered at the hand of Nazis. We should also know the other stories of that persecution, stories that should horrify and enrage us at the depths of the inhumanity that led to those camps.

Irena’s Vow is one such story of courage, the instinct for survival, remarkable generosity, and the ultimate miracle of life.

Highly recommended for mature teens and older.  In theaters April 15-16

Posted on

Book Review: Tears of Gold

I just finished reading Tears of Gold: Portraits of Yazidi, Rohingya, and Nigerian Women by Hannah Rose Thomas (Plough Publishing House, 2024). I read it in one sitting, stopping only to wipe my tears and compose myself before turning the page to a new portrait and a new story of loss and courage.

Thomas, a portrait artist, captures the myriad expressions of women who suffered unspeakable violence. These portraits are not just paintings but written records of the violence perpetrated against these women. Tears of Gold gives a voice and a face to these tearful stories.

From Suffering, ART

In the aftermath of the inhumanity experienced at the hands of ISIS, and violence in Myanmar and Nigeria with the Boko Haram, the women featured in these pages have their humanity restored and celebrated. Their suffering is not exploited, but rather, shared and documented in the visages of women who have survived.

The book opens with a lovely treatise on the dignity of the human person. In the first chapter titled, The Art of Attention, Thomas draws from philosophers and saints, poets and popes, to make the case we must observe and see the other to recognize ourselves and our shared humanity. It is breath taking.

Years ago, when I was teaching at a technical college in Atlanta, we experienced several waves of immigration from Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. In fact, many of the students we served were refugees from war-torn and oppressive regimes. My personal history as the granddaughter of Basque Spaniards fleeing the Civil War in Spain, and then my parents and I leaving Cuba as exiles seeking religious and personal freedom, I had a profound sense of empathy for my students, particularly because they were predominantly women. In retrospect, this book speaks to the suffering of some of my students. Perhaps that is why it hits so hard.

The Healing Power of Art

We connected on the common experience of finding ourselves in a new culture, reconciling the opportunities ahead of us while still nursing the emotional and physical wounds of violence perpetrated against us. Part of my curriculum included keeping a journal, and I soon found that my students were eager to share their stories. Somehow, it took their power back. I’ve never forgotten them or their stories.

Hannah Rose Thomas understands the healing properties of art, whether on the canvas or the page. This poignant collection captures the beauty of tears of gold, as each woman tells her story, often accompanied by a self-portrait. I am moved by how they see themselves, and what Thomas captures in their portraits.

Highly recommended.

Posted on

Film Review: The Shift

I love sci-fi, and I love romance. The Shift, a new film from Angel Studios, combines both genres to explore faith in a powerful battle pitting one man’s convictions with the author of all lies.

In this powerful film, the protagonist, Kevin Garner (Kristopher Polaha), suffers loss after loss when his business and reputation tank, his child is abducted, and he creates emotional distance from his wife, Molly (Elizabeth Tabish) thereby losing her. The accumulation of grief sends him spiraling down a dark path where he encounters The Benefactor (Neal McDonough).

The Benefactor presents himself as a savior to Kevin, but he cannot sustain that facade, revealing the aggressive evil that lives underneath this persona. The Benefactor tries to seduce Kevin with the idea of controlling his destiny in a metaverse with infinite outcomes, encouraging Kevin to join him and in return being given the universe of his choosing.

In a despairing moment encompassing both fear and helplessness, Kevin turns to God, surrendering in prayer. The enraged Benefactor vanishes, beginning a cycle of violence and intrigue as Kevin seeks the tool that will return him to his rightful universe. In the course of this search, he is beset with false friends and declining health in a universe filled with despair. Despite this, he endeavors to share his faith.

In a poignant moment when he is sharing a story from scripture, he discovers that he is like Job. Despite the trials and tribulations he encounters, it is his faith that drives him to reunite with his wife, Molly.

The commanding theme of evil’s seductive pull is overriden by the hope found in one man’s faith.

Available in theaters on December 1st. I highly recommend this film for mature audiences. It is sure to spark great conversation.

An Angel Studios film produced by Ken Carpenter and directed by Brock Heasley. More information is available at angel.com/watch/the-shift. 

Pin It on Pinterest