Waldemar Barwiński

The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. EO, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path, experiences joy and pain, endures the wheel of fortune randomly turn his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss. But not even for a moment does he lose his innocence.

This harrowing war film is an epic dramatization of the first battle of World War II. The Battle of Westerplatte that began on 1 September 1939 will forever be remembered as the one that announced the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. Over one week, fewer than 200 Polish soldiers fought against heavy German bombardment and in the process came to symbolize the power of resistance. As the violence rages, a complex battle of a more personal nature plays out between two Polish commanders over how to best lead their men. Amid the bloodshed, they must ask themselves – should they fight until the last man standing or surrender in the face of overwhelming odds? What unfolds is a stirring exploration of the fight against the forces of tyranny.

第二次世界大戦中、ソ連の秘密警察によってポーランド軍将校が虐殺された「カティンの森事件」を、ポーランドの巨匠アンジェイ・ワイダ監督が映画化した問題作。長い間明らかにされてこなかった同事件の真相を、ソ連の捕虜となった将校たちと、彼らの帰還を待ちわびる家族たちの姿を通して描く。父親を事件で殺された過去を持つワイダ監督が歴史の闇に迫った本作は、第80回アカデミー賞外国語映画賞ノミネートをはじめ、世界各地の映画祭で高く評価された。