"Ida" - A Film by Pawel Pawlikowwski (2015) Polish

In this film from Poland, Agata Trzebuchowska  plays the role of Anna , a novitiate nun in 1960s Poland. She is about to take her vows when she is summoned by the Mother Superior and instructed to go home to visit her only living relative; her mother’s sister. When Anna meets the woman who is her Aunt she is perplexed as to just why she is there.  Aunt Wanda, played by Agata Kulesza, works as a judge for the Polish Government and informs Anna that she is a Jew, just as her mother was.

When the Nazis took over Poland they didn’t have too much trouble convincing the people to turn on the Jews. The Catholic Church did hide many of the children of the Jews who were transported to death camps. But they raised them as Catholics to protect them. When the war ended many were never told of their true identities. The Polish people were not very interested in giving back the properties which they had acquired after the Jews were expelled.

But some churches let God decide the issue by releasing the refugee children and requiring them to go back home before making the decision whether to remain a Christian or return to the religion of their birth. Anna’s story; although fictitious; is emblematic of those stories. The film is starkly realistic in it’s filming. Poland of the early 1960’s was a bleak place under Communist rule and the film captures that expertly.

There is a lot to learn from this film about people and how they act under extraordinary circumstances. After briefly tasting some odf the outside world which she has missed while in the convent, Anna must finally make a choice for her future based on the experiences of her past.

"The Flowers of War" with Christian Bale (2012)

In 1937 the Japanese Imperial Army set its sights on Nanking, China. The “rape” of Nanking is one of the most brutal atrocities committed by the Japanese forces as the made their way across the Far East. In the midst of all the carnage; when everyone was looking out for themselves and trying to escape the Japanese onslaught; there were few heroes. This film tells the story of one of those men; an American mercenary, played by Christian Bale; who has a chance to leave the war ravaged province, but chooses to remain.

While hiding from the Japanese, he comes upon some schoolgirls who are trying desperately to make it to the Catholic cathedral. Together they reach the sanctuary, only to discover that the Priest has fled, leaving his parishioners, and the girls, alone. To complicate matters a group of prostitutes, or “flower girls”, show up at the church seeking sanctuary. This is okay with the people inside the church, but infuriates the Japanese, who then surround the church, laying siege to it.

Posing as the absent Priest; and using every ounce of courage to obtain food and fuel so that the girls might live, the group is ultimately faced with a stark choice; only the surrender of the prostitutes to the Japanese will save the girls. Of course, this means brutal treatment and most likely death to the flower girls. Recognizing their position, the “flower girls” come to the only conclusion possible; they sacrifice themselves to the fate of Japanese captivity, giving the girls their only chance to survive.

Brilliant and sensitive performances; along with realistic set designs; make this film a stark reminder of war and the choices we are sometimes forced into making in order to maintain our own humanity. In the face of overwhelming odds, these are not always easy choices to make.