The amount of individual stories from World War II seems never-ending, and there are so many that give a unique story an airing ((ndash)) recent examples are The Counterfeiters and Defiance. Here is another one, and this time it is close to the heart of acclaimed Polish director Andrzej Wajda (Ashes and Diamonds).

Apparently, the atrocities depicted here were generally not talked about until about a decade or two ago, mainly because the Kremlin took 40 years to confess to the main crime, which until that point had been blamed on the Germans. The crime I refer to is a massacre in the Katyn forest, one depicted near the end of the film in such a sombre and shocking manner that you really strain to see any level of humanity in it. But the film is so much more than a lead-up to this bitter end, as there are so many scenes that grip you with their poignancy, irony and beauty that you'll be captivated throughout.

The film-maker deservedly won an honorary Oscar in 2000 "for five decades of extraordinary film direction", but he didn't rest on his laurels as this film was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Picture Oscar just last year. Make sure you don't miss this astounding piece of cinema and history ((ndash)) you will be moved beyond tears, and that's just what good cinema should do!