“Irena’s Oath” is the story of teenage Irena Gut, inspired by true events, who hid and saved several people of Jewish origin from extermination during World War II. She hid 12 people in the basement of the German major’s villa. When the SS man learned Irena’s secret, he gave her a choice: she would become his lover or die, and the people in hiding with her.
The story of Irena Gut. Watch the trailer
The war took away Irena’s youth – in 1939 she was 17 years old, she had never even kissed a boy. A modest girl brought up in a traditional home had no chance for a romantic first love. Immediately after the outbreak of the war, she was beaten and raped by a group of Soviet soldiers. Miraculously saved, she was given the opportunity to work as a nurse, and later she was forced to work in an ammunition factory. Her knowledge of German, her cleverness and her beauty allowed her to gain safety and a better job with the German occupier.
As a servant in the canteen, and later in Major Rugemer’s villa, Irena had access to food and the opportunity to help the Jews she hid in the German’s basement. When her secret came to light, the major forced Irena to become his mistress. – It was worse than rape – she later wrote in her memoirs. Not wanting to burden her Jewish friends, the young Polish woman hid from them the price she was paying for their safety. She only confided in a priest during confession, she did not receive absolution.
Irena wrote down shocking memories, and the film adaptation will feature Polish actors
In 1982, she was honored as a Righteous Among the Nations. After surviving the war, after leaving for the United States, after many years of silence and deeply hiding the secret of the war years in Poland, Irena decided to write down her memories. She was prompted to do so by opinions denying concentration camps and the Holocaust. In 2021, the publishing house Poradnia K. published the shocking memoirs of Irena Gut-Opdyke: “I saved from the Holocaust. Memories” (original title: In My Hands. Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer). You can read an excerpt from the book here:
A play was created in a New York theater based on the book, and now the film has its Polish premiere, which was first seen by viewers at the 48th International Film Festival in Toronto. The main roles will be played by Sophie Nelisse and Dougray Scott. The cast of the Polish-Canadian co-production also included: Andrzej Seweryn, Filip Kosior, Rafał Mohr, Eliza Rycembel, Tomasz Tyndyk, Irena Melcer, Eryk Kulm Jr, Mateusz Mosiewicz, Rafał Maćkowiak, Maciej Nawrocki, Zuza Puławska, Krzysztof Szczepaniak, Aleksandar Milićević and Agata Turkot. The director of the picture is Louise Archambault, and the cinematography is done by Paul Sarossy. The script was written by Dan Gordon, who is also the author of the play about Irena Gut-Opdyke.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
