Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

A Disappointing Continuation

Blistering performances.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The words in my summary line were spoken by Irena Sendler (Anna Pacquin) to her friend and co-worker Stefania (Ruby Bentall), and effectively convey the idea that once the Polish women decided to help Jewish children escape the Warsaw Ghetto, they had crossed a line that could ultimately mean life or death. Besides the inspiration these types of film display, one is also reminded of how courageous and selfless the human spirit can be along side the worst kind of human brutality. The story of the Holocaust and the dissolution of families in the name of the master race is one that must be kept alive to remind mankind that evil exists in the world and that often it's too easy to cast a blind eye or even more egregiously, disavow it altogether. Hallmark Productions is to be commended for their realistic and unflinching look at a true life heroine, identified at the end of the film some sixty four years following the events of the story, at the age of ninety five. Blessed with a long life, Irena Sendler will remain an inspiration to all who have the opportunity to watch this amazing story.

I watched this film last night at its Latvian premiere. It was a relatively big event owing to the fact that it was the first ever Hollywood production shot entirely on location in Riga. The film's theme is without any doubt an important one and the real life Irena Sendler definitely deserves to have a film made about her life. I'm just not sure that this was the film It is, of course, one thing that they shot the film in Riga, Latvia and not in Poland. Before the screening, one of the producers claimed that it was no longer possible to make a film about the Warsaw ghetto in Warsaw since everything had been destroyed during the war. That may be true, still others have managed. I understand that this film has been made for the American audiences who wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Madrid and Reykjavik but let's be honest, it didn't actually feel very Warsawy. Riga went through similar events during WWII, so the events depicted in this film didn't feel inaccurate against the actual background of the city of Riga but it just wasn't Poland.However, that wasn't the biggest problem. Mediocre and unconvincing acting aside, everyone not only spoke broken English (plus they had public signs in English!!!) but they also spoke the way Americans do in Hollywood productions - I love you, son - I love, daddy. Excuse me but no one actually speaks with each other like this in real life in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else really for that matter. And what was it all about with this sudden outburst of cautious randiness in the closet? Yes, of course, we need a bit of fully clothed and well-tempered romance to make the Hollywood mission complete.In many ways, this film tried to be Schindler's List. They even put some real life footage of Irena Sendler at the end of the film, just like they did it in Spielberg's film. But both these films, while touching upon very serious and important matters, flop entirely in terms of authenticity and believability. In other words, cheap Hollywoodisation of European history.

In this fact-based story set in 1941 Poland, Irena Sendler is in charge of social services for Warsaw, which is unusual in itself. Rarely were women in charge of anything important in those days. Nearly half a million Jews from Poland and elsewhere have been moved to the Warsaw ghetto, and they are about to be moved again--to places with names like Treblinka and Auschwitz. Irena's job involves helping these people in whatever ways she can.Irena wants to at least save the children, who can be taught to pretend they are Christian or even convert. But many families do not want to take a chance sheltering Jewish children (so convents and orphanages must be found), and the Jewish parents are reluctant to give up their children. Irena promises to keep a list of who she rescues and where they are so they can be returned after the war; the hiding place looks like it will work, but who knows?Not everyone is willing to help Irena in her quest--even some of her employees don't see the point and don't want to get involved--but she finds several very caring people who can help. Some know ways the children can secretly escape. Meanwhile, the Germans are taking over Irena's department, and to get into the ghetto she must pose as a nurse and give typhus shots. A lot of good the shots will do, since the people who put Jews in the ghetto care little about them, and conditions allow disease to spread. And pretty soon, disease will be the least of the Jews' worries. But at least Irena believes she can save some of the children.Of course, anyone who gets caught helping Jews faces dire consequences. There are narrow escapes, but even some Germans seem sympathetic.Anna Paquin does a very good job. Two specific moments stand out in my mind. One is a scene where Irena has to pretend she doesn't care as a Jewish parent pleads for help, when we know she cares a lot. Another is the most disturbing scene in the movie, where Irena has finally been caught breaking the law.Elea Hofland stands out as Anna, one of the more likable Jewish children, the one that wants to be a ballerina. I have to believe this was not a real child because what are the chances the character would have the same name as the star?The actors playing the Jewish parents do a good job. So many are scared of what might happen to their children, and they portray this well.There is also a red-haired Jewish boy who stands out in my mind but I don't remember his name. I'm going to say Jasio.I wanted to say this was a film the whole family could watch, except maybe younger children. Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations tend to be family-friendly, even when tackling adult issues. But I'm not sure some of the violence in this movie would pass the test. It's certainly milder than "Schindler's List", and most of the violence is only implied. But there is a scene with an apparently dead body, and several scenes where it's clear if not obvious we are seeing people shot.This is an important film because it tells some of what the Jews had to go through, and it makes clear how terribly they were treated just at the beginning, before they went to concentration camps. The gory details are avoided. And there are a few triumphant moments, even when we think things can't get any better for certain characters.It's not a typical Hallmark film, but it does make important points.

A very fine holocaust film dealing with Irena Sendler's helping 2,500 Jewish children escape from the ghetto and face certain extermination.The film is quite a change for Anna Paquin, who shows she can act unlike her 1993 totally undeserved supporting Oscar win for "The Piano."This excellent film shall serve as an inspiration to us all. Unfortunately, we could not discover what happened to many of the children after the war. Unfortunately, their parents must have perished.This is a film of great virtue, moral courage, the embodiment of a total triumph of the human spirit under such adversity.Marcia Gay Harden, a terrific actress, has the role of the mother. Despite the fact that her part is generally understated, Harden displays that rare virtue of a parent caught up in what is right in such an era of horror.Highly recommended.