Godziny Nadziei

A small town in western Poland, a castle, a lake, surrounded by forest. The French, Americans, Poles, Russians, slave labourers, prisoners and soldiers all stand on the verge of a new beginning. The liberation from the Nazi regime is celebrated. Exuberant chaos and hope for a new life inspire the day. The action revolves around a field hospital and a senior doctor. While outside new love blossoms for him, inside wounds of memory grow ever louder and disturb an otherwise seemingly ideal world. And then an SS unit lurks in the forest, preparing for one final attack. Jan Rybkowski's film captivates with its irresistible, neorealist imagery, showing as it does the chaos and joy of liberation. He narrates both individual human tales as well as major European history. KM