TIFF 2023 review: ‘IRENA’S VOW’ is harrowing, engrossing, and timely film.

IRENA’S VOW

Based on the true story of Polish nurse Irena Gut Opdyke, director Louise Archambault brings TIFF 2023 audiences IRENA’S VOW, a harrowing tale of a young woman’s relentless bravery during WW2.

Feeling an overwhelming need to protect a group of Jewish workers during the Nazi regime, Irena hatches a plan to hide them in plain sight. Under the watchful eye of a vile general and the comings and goings of those who would have them all killed on a whim, one woman saves the lives of strangers, making way for change. Opdyke’s meticulously choreographed schedule of maneuvering workers and her wards is breathtaking. Her sacrifices will bowl you over. Sophie Nélisse breathes life into Irena. She is equal parts heroic and vulnerable. I didn’t even recognize her from her brilliant work on Yellowjackets. She transforms into Irena with an elegance that is perfection.

The costumes and sets place you back in time, making you feel claustrophobic within the walls of a mansion. Bravo to the production design team. The storytelling is authentic, brutal, heartrending, and inspiring. IRENA’S VOW displays how quickly evil permeates a culture, how goodness can overcome those forces, and the importance of standing up for what’s right in the world. Timely and crucial in the face of ignorance and hate, IRENA’S VOW is a triumph in this year’s lineup.


Monday, September 11
Scotiabank Theatre Torontolocation_on

Shudder exclusive: ‘Blood Vessel’ is a genre mashup with bite.

Blood Vessel

A life-raft lost at sea encounters an abandoned Nazi vessel. Boarding the ship, they find a far more daunting enemy.

Totally insane and gleefully brutal, Blood Vessel, a new Shudder exclusive, is the genre mashup that we’ve been waiting for. Nazis and vampires? Yes, please. What is it with Nazi’s and their penchant for screwing with the occult? It will never end well. This ragtag crew of survivors is rife with big personalities, different accents, and abilities. While a few have a shorter shelf life (pun intended) it gives us a ton to focus on as the plot reveals itself. The camera work is awesome, from drone shots of the ocean to maneuvering inside the tight confines of a ship. The costumes are cool and period-accurate. The set design, too, puts you back in time and makes you feel the claustrophobia of the space. Kudos to the makeup team for innumerable reasons.

Performances are badass. Nathan Phillips gives a really grounded portrayal of Sinclair. As much as one can be discovering that a family of vamps are trying to kill you. Alyssa Sutherland, as a nurse who lost her daughter and husband in the war, is the sensible, even-keeled figure and voice of reason. She is fearless and kind and a nice foil for the boat’s majority of overly masculine residents. Ruby Isobel Hall is phenomenal in her timing and perceived innocence. It’s some truly nuanced work. For me, the star of this film is Alex Cooke. Frankly, I could have watched an entirely separate film of the history of his character (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, writer-director Justin Dix and writer Jordan Prosser!) His totally nonchalant epicness deserves more screen time. Cooke kills it in this role.

The most unusual aspect of Dix‘s and Prosser‘s screenplay is that I found myself questioning who the real villains are? A family is kidnapped for profit. Then said family is punished for defending itself. Our crew is merely intervening after a tragedy and gets caught in the middle. I found myself relating to the vampires as a mother, which is both weird and wonderful. While there are definitely a few telegraphed plot points, the majority of the script is super original and wild as hell. Blood Vessel could easily become a franchise based on a very satisfying ending. You’ll undoubtedly hunger for more.

 Starring Nathan Phillips (Wolf Creek), Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings), Robert Taylor (Longmire), directed by Justin Dix (Crawlspace). A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE. (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)