| Katyn | |
 A sombre film about a Second World War massacre of a group of Polish prisoners (including soldiers, police and civilians), Katyn focusses less on the events themselves and more on the importance of Polish citizens discovering the truth behind it.Like many atrocities of this period, the Katyn massacre was the subject of lies, cover-ups and propaganda over the years. This has clearly made it a huge part of the Polish national consciousness, but it is within this historical role for Poland that the film finds itself both emboldened and, ultimately, undone. The vehemence with which the events themselves are addressed are a credit to writers Andrzej Mularczyk and Przemyslaw Nowakowsk, as well as director Andrzej Wajda. Too often political films are danced around with far too weak a verdict on something as horrific as this. But here, no punches are pulled as we are thrown into several intimate familial situations which serve as the framework through which the impact of these events is pounded home. Young intellectuals and soldiers face their fate with admirable stoicism, calmly debating the merits of fighting their battle against the Nazis and the Soviets, while their families must come to terms with their fate: or else fight tooth and nail to find out the truth. These lives, fraught with tension and emotion, build up to the revelation of the real truth behind the massacre. The Soviet lies which blamed the Nazis for the mass killings, and the horrific nature of their execution. The final scene of this frightening piece of history as breathtaking for its calm, clear and brutally mechanical depiction of what was as cold and calculated a mass murder as anything undertaken by Nazi Germany. The trouble is that these events are, for the most part, too tailored towards a nationalist Polish audience. The humanity of the characters is geared toward a stoic acceptance of events customary of those resigned to occupation by two stronger neighbours, or a fighting spirit which, more often than not, is applied more to the cause of a free Polish nation than of moral indignation or raw emotion for the suffering that so cruelly befell many Poles during this time (and much more before it). That the rhetoric of Polish nationalism is so frequently deployed, and that familial struggles centre so tightly on it, makes a story which should be universal in its ability to draw disgust at the perpetrators and empathy with the victims seem rather more distant and even occasionally alienating. To understand a fight for freedom from oppression is one thing, to stand up with your head held high behind a Polish flag and declare that it is the most honourable nation on earth is another thing entirely. And this crass jingoism ruined it slightly, although this may very well be because I have never suffered the pains of occupation and thus could never fully understand how that feels. Nonetheless, there are several scenes of great power within this film. And its story is one of many tragedies of warfare that could easily be forgotten were it not for the hard work, inspiration and indignation of these filmmakers. If you can look past the nationalism, this is an affecting and important war film. And if, like me, you can't: maybe it will help you understand another national sentiment that little bit better. Rating: *** Starring: Andrzej Chyra, Maja Ostaszewska, Artur Zmijewski, Magdalena Cielecka, Pawel Malaszynski Director: Andrzej Wajda Release date: 19th June 2009 Run time: 118 mins Language: Polish Review by Michael Edwards |
