I was first introduced to St. Maximilian Kolbe as a child, in a comic book by Patricia Treece. Enthralled by his vision of the Blessed Virgin, offering him crowns of purity and martyrdom, his courage struck me and has inspired me for years.
Now you can see that courage onscreen in a powerful independent film -- at your parish or community group. Try that with a Hollywood production!
The Power of Sacrifice in Triumph of the Heart
Sherwood Fellows, a Catholic creative agency, released Triumph of the Heart to theaters in September. The story, however, is not the life of Franciscan priest Kolbe in its entirety, but instead, the comparatively short yet torturously long days beginning when he gave up his life for another man and willingly entered the starvation chamber of Auschwitz.
Starring Marcin Kwasny and Rowan Polonski, with an incredibly talented supporting cast, the brutally simple premise illuminates the essence of the Christian story: a humble man willingly enters darkness and death to help a motley group of individuals grappling with great suffering.
Every person in the audience will encounter himself in at least one of the characters. Interplays of darkness and light, depicted in cinematography as well as story, shows the lives of Kolbe’s companions in idyllic flashbacks which offer reprieve from Auschwitz.
Each has his own mission, from the dedicated Jewish rabbi, to the passionate young soldier who, even in the chamber, manages to die for his beloved Poland.
Further, each has his own Passion. The most poignant is soldier Albert’s grief for the life and love he left behind. These are not faceless co-prisoners sent arbitrarily to die with Kolbe. Each man brings a full life with him “into death and beyond it,” as they pray.
The driving question is simple: Can men, wracked with hunger that constantly poses the threat of insanity, keep their spirits intact until starvation or violence take their bodies? They give themselves to each other, inspiring patriotism in the prisoners outside, confessing their sins, holding each other in death.
The Power of Maximilian Kolbe's Faith
Maximilian, with miraculous strength, calls them out of animalism at the darkest moments. A bitter fellow prisoner poses the basis of Kolbe’s struggle on their first day: “Why do you still hope?” Kolbe is the embodiment of what he tells them: “Love is the one thing they cannot take from you, even here.”
This is Christianity: in the depths of despair, God sends us to be with each other. I was particularly struck by Kolbe’s insistence that the men love each other as they would members of their own family.
Even when there is only one man left, Kolbe is present to him, seeing each home. Because we are a Resurrection people, there is joy in the ending: Heaven.
Beauty From Suffering
Triumph of the Heart shows us the beauty possible in the stories that have come before us, in the triumph of the human heart united to Christ’s, pierced and yet living for every single man.
Sherwood Fellows’ Triumph of the Heart is not suitable for children, but is an inspiring and even necessary watch for every adult grappling with evil and suffering.
Parish and community screenings are available to organize or attend nationwide. Click here to learn more about that.
Father Mike Schmitz also did a video review. Take a look:
Image: Sherwood Fellows
Sophia Sariego is a Los Angeles native working in the pro-life movement. She loves Eucharistic Adoration, making music, and hitting the beaches in her spare time.
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