Irena's Vow

Irena's Vow (2024) is a Canadian-Polish wartime drama you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Louise Archambault and starring Sophie Nélisse. Nineteen-year-old Irena Gut has been assigned as housekeeper to German Major Rugemer (Dugray Scott) in occupied Poland. When she learns that the local Jewish ghetto is about to be liquidated, she makes a decision that could get her shot.

Twelve people end up hidden in the basement directly beneath the officer's living quarters. For eight months Irena moves between Rugemer's dining room and the concealed space below — carrying food, managing panic, constructing believable lies on short notice. Every unannounced visit from the Major is a test of nerve. When he eventually uncovers the truth, the ultimatum he issues forces Irena into a compromise that has no clean outcome.

The screenplay adapts Dan Gordon's stage play, which drew from the real account of Irena Gut-Opdyke. Nélisse carries the film on a kind of quiet stubbornness — the character isn't fearless, she's just decided fear isn't enough of a reason. Watch Irena's Vow (2024) online on iFILM.