Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Polish hero fights Nazis, then Poles in power; violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Pilecki's Report
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Witold Pilecki (Przemyslaw Wyszynski) was a Polish army captain who organized against the Nazi occupation of his country during World War II. He and his network of resisters organized to sabotage the Germans and pass on helpful intel to the Allies. He even volunteered to be sent to Auschwitz in 1940 to create a network of pro-Polish spies there. Auschwitz at the time was a terrible prison camp for those deemed enemies of the Nazis, including dissidents, criminals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals, not yet the efficient death camp where Jews were murdered en masse later in the war. PILECKI'S REPORT, however, focuses on the way this real-life patriot was betrayed by his own countrymen post-war as Polish army officers curried favor with their new Soviet handlers.
Is It Any Good?
Pilecki's Report is beautifully made and Przemyslaw Wyszynski's performance as Pilecki is impeccable. But the film's jumpy construction seems designed to undermine its own best qualities. It takes an hour and fifteen minutes for the importance of the title's "report" to emerge. And it's hard at first to know why none of Pilecki's important patriotic work seems to count when Poland's post-war Soviet regime incarcerates and tortures him. Suddenly, high-ranking Polish military, now beholden to Soviet rule, beat and torture Pilecki as if he had betrayed his country. None of this is explained and the confusion only grows as the action constantly jumps around in chronology.
Moreover, post-World War II Polish history is likely to be unfamiliar to anyone but Poles themselves. It's likely that few viewers will know Polish army uniforms from German uniforms. For that reason, it may not immediately be understood that Pilecki is being interrogated and beaten by fellow Polish army officers after the war, and that confusion could muddy the terrible the irony of his story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what the difference is between the Nazis and the Soviets in terms of the way each treated those who didn't buy into their respective ideologies.
Nazis massacred intellectuals and other undesirables, including Jews, gay people, and dissidents. So did the Soviets. Why do you think a totalitarian regime eliminates smart people and people who are "different"?
Why do you think people like to have power over others? Do you think such people are threatened by allowing freedoms for everyone, including people who don't agree with them?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 1, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : June 1, 2024
- Cast : Przemyslaw Wyszynski , Karol Wroblewski , Mariusz Jakus
- Director : Krysztof Lukaszewicz
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 118 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : June 10, 2024
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