Irena's Vow

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Irena's Vow

R,

2024,

2h 1m,

War/

Drama/

Biography/

History

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Watchlist

86%

37 Reviews

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Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Through the eyes of a strong-willed woman comes the remarkable true story of Irena Gut Opdyke and the triumphs of the human spirit over devastating tragedy. 19-year-old Irena Gut is promoted to housekeeper in the home of a highly respected Nazi officer when she finds out that the Jewish ghetto is about to be liquidated. Determined to help twelve Jewish workers, she decides to shelter them in the safest place she can think of: the basement of the German commandant's house. Over the next two years, Irena uses her wit, humor, and courage to hide her friends until the end of the German occupation, concealing them in the midst of countless Nazi parties, a blackmail scheme, and even the birth of a child. Her story is one of the most inspiring of our time.

Nick Hasted

Sight & Sound

Nov 5, 2025

Irena’s Vow continues the understandable preference since Schindler’s List (1993) for vignettes of goodness and hope over the camps’ overwhelming hopelessness.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

Mar 25, 2025

3/5

The story of her remarkable courage and heroism is told very politely in an English-language drama that feels a little too tactful in places to really say anything about the horrors of Nazism.

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Christy Lemire

RogerEbert.com

Apr 19, 2024

3/4

[T]his is such a worthwhile story that we can’t look away, and Nélisse is so engaging that we don’t want to.

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Dave Golder

Radio Times

Sep 24, 2026

4/5

Excellent performances - especially from Yellowjackets star Sophie Nélisse as Irena and Dougray Scott as her Nazi boss - elevate some skimpily scripted characters, but the compelling nature of an almost unbelievable true story keeps you gripped.

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Annette Basile

FILMINK (Australia)

Aug 19, 2025

14.5/20

This is not an essential Holocaust film, but the key question is – does the film move you? The answer is yes. Irena’s Vow is imperfect yet involving cinema.

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Codie Allen

Geek Vibes Nation

Jul 22, 2025

8/10

Ultimately, under Archambault's deft guidance and Nélisse's mesmerizing performance, Irena's Vow transcends genre conventions to stand as a timeless testament to the indomitable resilience of the human spirit.

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Louise Archambault

Director

Sophie Nélisse

Irena Gut

Nela Maciejewska

Anna

Dougray Scott

Rugmer

Andrzej Seweryn

Schulz

Maciej Nawrocki

Rokita

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Synopsis

Through the eyes of a strong-willed woman comes the remarkable true story of Irena Gut Opdyke and the triumphs of the human spirit over devastating tragedy. 19-year-old Irena Gut is promoted to housekeeper in the home of a highly respected Nazi officer when she finds out that the Jewish ghetto is about to be liquidated. Determined to help twelve Jewish workers, she decides to shelter them in the safest place she can think of: the basement of the German commandant's house. Over the next two years, Irena uses her wit, humor, and courage to hide her friends until the end of the German occupation, concealing them in the midst of countless Nazi parties, a blackmail scheme, and even the birth of a child. Her story is one of the most inspiring of our time.

Director: Louise Archambault
Producer: Nicholas Tabarrok, Beata Pisula, Tim Ringuette, Berry Meyerowitz, Jeff Sackman
Screenwriter: Dan Gordon
Distributor: Fathom Events
Production Co: Darius Films, K&K Selekt
Rating: R (Some Strong Violence|Brief Sexuality)
Genre: War, Drama, Biography, History
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 15, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 14, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.1M
Runtime: 2h 1m

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