AFS: Wajda's 'Ashes & Diamonds'

At the end of World War II, two Polish factions that have both been battling the Nazis begin a struggle for power. ASHES AND DIAMONDS takes place on the last day of the war, when soldiers who have fought alongside each other begin to turn and take sides. At the center of the story is a young soldier who is under orders to assassinate a high ranking communist official, and who finds himself in a battle with his own conscience. Striking both visually and narratively, the film is a poetic masterpiece that is a revelation still today. Wajda’s own deep losses and personal experiences of resistance in the war permeate the narrative, making this a war film that is heartbreaking because it feels deeply personal.

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Directed by Andrzej Wajda

Poland, 1958, 1h 43min, 35 mm, In Polish with English Subtitles

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Tickets: https://www.austinfilm.org/screening/ashes-diamonds/