This film attracted a lot of attention, particularly in Poland, and given my Polish background, the film had a more significant and personal connection with me.
The title of the film refers to the mass executions of officers and public servants by the Soviet secret police in 1940. The Soviets denied responsibility for the massacre until 1990, when it formally acknowledged the ordered killings and cover-up that had ensued. The “secret” nature of the massacre forms a significant part of the way the event is portrayed in the film.
Unlike for instance, Life is Beautiful, a film set during the Holocaust, which really tugs on the heartstrings, Katyń seems like a colder, more distanced portrayal of another of the war’s horrors. It feels more like the film is focusing on the political situation of the time, as a way of trying to come to grips with the event, as well as be able to give Poland’s uncensored account of what was (and perhaps still is) one of the lesser-known yet one of the most significant mass tragedies to have taken place during the Second World War, to the rest of the world watching through the medium of cinema.
The film, directed by celebrated Polish director Andrzej Wajda, features a few personal stories entwined with each other but I think it is more about reflecting the general state and sentiment of the country at the time − the confusion, the cover-ups, the propaganda and just the unknown. So, I feel as if, sympathy and emotion take a back seat in the film, which is more about showing people the situation Poland was facing, physically, emotionally and politically. It’s a country struggling between two forces, trying to find the lesser of two evils: the Germans and the Soviets. On the one hand, you have Nazis and Auschwitz, and on the other side of the country (literally), the Soviets are undertaking a secretive massacre in the Katyn forest. It’s just incomprehensible to me − and I usually feel like this whenever I watch something about historical tragedies and events that I, thankfully, did not have to live through but through my heritage, feel connected to. Years ago when I first heard about the Katyn massacre from my parents, I had trouble believing it. It was hard enough to come to terms with the Holocaust, and to hear of more large-scale secret mass killings of Polish people by another country, just blew my mind.
I knew this review would have a more personal touch but it’s quite unavoidable, and watching films like these will unfortunately have this effect on me, and on many others I’m sure. But it’s through telling peoples’ stories and reflecting on them that can help create wider discussion and education and hopefully, leave some mark for future generations to remember and try to avoid repeating.
4/5
The title of the film refers to the mass executions of officers and public servants by the Soviet secret police in 1940. The Soviets denied responsibility for the massacre until 1990, when it formally acknowledged the ordered killings and cover-up that had ensued. The “secret” nature of the massacre forms a significant part of the way the event is portrayed in the film.
Unlike for instance, Life is Beautiful, a film set during the Holocaust, which really tugs on the heartstrings, Katyń seems like a colder, more distanced portrayal of another of the war’s horrors. It feels more like the film is focusing on the political situation of the time, as a way of trying to come to grips with the event, as well as be able to give Poland’s uncensored account of what was (and perhaps still is) one of the lesser-known yet one of the most significant mass tragedies to have taken place during the Second World War, to the rest of the world watching through the medium of cinema.
The film, directed by celebrated Polish director Andrzej Wajda, features a few personal stories entwined with each other but I think it is more about reflecting the general state and sentiment of the country at the time − the confusion, the cover-ups, the propaganda and just the unknown. So, I feel as if, sympathy and emotion take a back seat in the film, which is more about showing people the situation Poland was facing, physically, emotionally and politically. It’s a country struggling between two forces, trying to find the lesser of two evils: the Germans and the Soviets. On the one hand, you have Nazis and Auschwitz, and on the other side of the country (literally), the Soviets are undertaking a secretive massacre in the Katyn forest. It’s just incomprehensible to me − and I usually feel like this whenever I watch something about historical tragedies and events that I, thankfully, did not have to live through but through my heritage, feel connected to. Years ago when I first heard about the Katyn massacre from my parents, I had trouble believing it. It was hard enough to come to terms with the Holocaust, and to hear of more large-scale secret mass killings of Polish people by another country, just blew my mind.
I knew this review would have a more personal touch but it’s quite unavoidable, and watching films like these will unfortunately have this effect on me, and on many others I’m sure. But it’s through telling peoples’ stories and reflecting on them that can help create wider discussion and education and hopefully, leave some mark for future generations to remember and try to avoid repeating.
4/5
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