Yes, highly recommended. It’s in Polish, so you have to read subtitles. The dialog seems to have been lengthier and richer than the subtitles convey (a common problem).
It is a somewhat depressing film. 24,000 families had no word about their loved ones until their bodies were exhumed and a few documents recovered. Most families just never heard from them again. The murdered included not only military officers and enlisted men, but engineers, doctors, professors as well. The Soviets set out to totally destroy the old Polish identity and culture. They exterminated HALF of Polish military officers to prevent them from rising up against the Soviets post-WW II.
You’ll enjoy it!
Have you seen “Ida” ? About the life of a young nun. It’s the first Polish film to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film (2015) Poland has a very promising filmmaking scene.
Thank you for the description. I will be sure to watch it as it is sure to strike a chord with me - after living in Russia, where a whole new generation is struggling to forge a proper identity and make sense of the Soviet past also. Public discussion of Soviet atrocities has been largely muted (or edited/censored) under Vladimir Putin. For every monument erected even to Russian victims, dozens of portraits and busts of Stalin, Lenin, and Dzehrzinsky are in increasing public view.
I experienced “Victory Day” two years in a row while there and the desperation to claim the “hero” mantle in the World War II narrative (while also embracing Stalin’s role and Soviet glory) is palpable.
Here is an article about how the Russian officials responded to the Polish govt’s intentions to decommunize further and remove Soviet statues:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-poland-sanctions-idUSKBN1A41VB