Mistrz

Found this on a streaming site & decided to give it a go. Thank god I did. It's a "small" film that tells a big story set in Auschwitz. I was hooked from the opening scene and sat spellbound for 90 minutes. The acting, directing, cinematography, set design are all spot on. I went in thinking this is a fictional story set in a real place, but at the end it says the events of the film are true. IDK if they are or aren't or the exact details are true or not. What I know is this is a moving film, with a simple story set within the confines of a literal he** on Earth. Proof you can tell a great story in 90 minutes. If you're looking at it & wondering if you should watch it....don't think, clear your mind, stay away from social media and for an hour and a half you will be witness to a powerful film.

Being currently in Poland I came across a good quality, war drama 'MISTRZ' (eng title: 'The Champion of Auschwitz') written and directed by Maciej Barczewski.

Synopsis: "True story of the pre war boxing champion Tadeusz "Teddy" Pietrzykowski, who in 1940 arrives with the first transport of prisoners to the newly created Auschwitz concentration camp. There, camp officers force him to fight for his and other prisoners' lives. However, with every win, he strengthens the hope that Nazis are not invincible. The camp authorities subject Teddy to a final fight, the stake of which is not only his life and freedom, but also the dignity and hope for the survival of the prisoners."

I am a huge boxing fanatic, so when I see films with boxing as a subject I am very judgmental and yet I am very impressed with the work done by Polish filmmakers telling the story of a boxer intertwined in to war time atrocities at Auschwitz concentration camp. Things like cinematography and lighting, as well as the technical aspects of filmmaking craft are always on the highest level in Polish cinema. 'The Champion...' does not disappoint in visual department, but also the fight choreographies are well filmed being both rather realistically dynamic and obtain descent believability factor.

I am also very pleasantly surprised by the lead performance by Piotr Glowacki, which previously I only saw in rather comedic roles. Here he excels at stoicism and emotional honesty, but also sense of physicality, which haven't bees seen in his previous film work.

Minor setback in terms of criticism can be mentioned that the score of the film is not only inspired by Hans Zimmer style from movie 'INTERSTELLAR'', but at times it seems directly copied. Now, being inspired by someone's work is one thing (as it can be the highest form of flattery) but when you copy musical motives it can leave a little unpleasant taste in all around very good quality movie. Then again some more casual viewers will not hear the commonality of both scores, as the score in 'The Champion...' works dramatically very well, it's just for my taste it's clearly copied from Zimmer style.

All and all 'The Champion of Auschwitz' ('MISTRZ') is worth recommending, especially if like me you find beauty in boxing as sport.

This is a tale of how a skill can make one's miserable enslaved existence more beneficial for the self and others. The skill saves some innocent and destroys some too; but no matter how hard the predicament might seem, there is always something to fight for. Dramatic near-death and comeback resurrection are truly inspiring.

I loved it, I didn't take my eyes of the screen for one second. It made a lot of people cry in the audience. A must watch.

Dramatic, heart-wrenching, powerful story and acting. While parts of the movie can be difficult to watch there's an uplifting and spirited feeling as well.