Masterfully crafted by an experienced directorial hand (Andrzej Wajda was 82 when he created this film), this is an examination of the 1940 Soviet slaughter of Polish officers and citizens in the Katyn forest.
At the beginning of World War II, Soviet soldiers conduct a mass execution of 22,000 Polish prisoners of war in Katyn forest in western Russia - mainly military officers and professional-class civilians. With Hitler's forces rapidly advancing into Eastern Europe, a surviving Polish officer, Lt. Jerzy (Andrzej Chyra), at great risk to his own life, chooses to stay behind with his wife, Anna (Maja Ostaszewska). As the Germans round up Lt. Jerzy and other officers, propaganda efforts cover up the truth about the Soviet soldiers' shocking brutality. This is a powerful, personal depiction of a wartime tragedy. The victims of the Katyn massacre included the director's father, Captain Jacub Wajda. (Subtitles)
Poland 2007 Andrzej Wajda 121m
