An unbelievable movie experience! ...But the film is not, nor does it claim to be, an account of actual historical events.
I was born in Poland in 1970, and having lived there until 1988 - I believe (despite the fact I was merely a child at the time); I believe that the movie portraits an accurate picture of life in Poland and prevailing political scene of those years.
Being a child of those years - I was surprised how little time was devoted in the movie to the character of Lech Walensa, who for me (living in Poland in the 80s) WAS Solidarity. But in THIS movie Walensa is only a secondary character. Instead, the movie is about "a woman". A woman (or two women) who opened the door for Walensa, a woman who started it all. A woman who, almost singlehandedly, instigated an opposition towards the Establishment. An opposition which subsequently lead to a revolution that eventually changed Central and Eastern Europe.
The biggest complaint against the movie comes from those who knew the people and events first hand. The complaints pertain to discrepancies between the movie and historical events. Having seen the movie, and having caught-up (a little) on those historical facts on the internet I believe the director chose to alter several facts for two reasons; 1) to allow himself/herself a freedom of artistic expression---and protect himself/herself from overbearing scrutiny. And 2) to create additional drama and tension in the movie that work very effectively. In support of this opinion I would like to point to two examples where the movie differs from actual events: 1) Agnieszka - the heroine in the movie - is a compilation of lives and actions of two women. And 2) The son of Anna Walentynowicz, in real life never wore a uniform (but in the movie this little alteration strikes gold).
Overall - very impressive and very important movie.
