Warsaw 44 [Miasto44] 2014, Jan Komasa, war drama, Poland, 127 min, VO, ENG sub

Cast: Anna Próchniak, Antoni Królikowski, Zofia Wichlacz, Józef Pawlowski, Maurycy Popiel, Filip Gurlacz

In mid 1944, the Second World War is coming to an end. Warsaw is still occupied by the Nazis. Young people are tired of suffering. They are hungry for a new life and they want it now. The urge to rebel against the occupiers is overwhelming. Their voice needs to be heard. On the 1st of August, unarmed citizens start an uprising that lasts 63 days and brings an apocalypse upon the city. Warsaw 44 focuses on a group of young insurgents that took part in the ill-fated uprising against Nazi Germany in 1944. 32-year-old Komasa penned the script for the movie, and spent 8 years raising funds for the film, together with producer Michal Kaminski. The plot is loosely based on the experiences of Jacek Domaradzki (codename Alfa), who fought in the rising alongside his fiancé (codename Omega), until fate intervened. The 63-day insurgency ended in capitulation, with nominal ally the Red Army reneging on initial pledges to liberate the city in cooperation with the Poles. Up to 200,000 people died during the rising, mostly civilians, and historians remain divided about whether the insurgency should have been launched.