Triumph of the Heart (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

St. Maximilian Kolbe (Marcin Kwaśny) was a Catholic priest living in Poland in the early twentieth century. Given his Jewish roots, he found himself imprisoned by the evil and hostile men tasked with guarding Auschwitz during World War II. That camp is where he would spend the remainder of his life, a place where he would make the greatest sacrifice. As a result of his hardship and triumph, he has forever been canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church. Triumph of the Heart is Kolbe’s story.

Triumph of the Heart is a deep and meaningful telling of the atrocities that plagued man during the time of World War II. It begs viewers to take a deeper, more spiritual look at the things that occurred nearly a century ago, but have certainly not been forgotten. Spirituality has always played a pivotal role in retellings of the stories from the Holocaust. Night by Elie Wiesel is a perfect example of how religion and one’s relationship with God affected the millions forced to look death in the face, but Triumph of the Heart takes a different approach, one that extends beyond what Wiesel was able and willing to recall. Interestingly, however, Writer-Director Anthony Di’Ambrosio is subtle with the inclusion of religion in his film. It exists nearly every step of the way, however, it’s never aggressive in its presentation–rather allowing viewers to receive the information as they see fit. 

The slow, droning narrative often takes viewers out of it, distancing them from the harsh, but equally powerful narrative that needed to be told. There are moments of shock and awe that effectively cut through the stillness that otherwise exists in Triumph of the Heart, and I feel that they work well to juxtapose the often sedentary pacing of the film. It doesn’t create some massive spectacle, not like the Hollywood adaptations of Holocaust stories, though it does work to develop some semblance of balance that manages to transcend the majority of Triumph of the Heart. To some degree, we’ve all seen or read something that presents incredibly similar information to what Triumph of the Heart does, and that plays a role in the film’s seemingly long-winded approach. 

The entirety of Triumph of the Heart is delivered using dark, drab tones that reflect the harrowing reality of what transpired all those years ago. This representation is accurate, so accurate, in fact, that there were moments that nearly made me sick to my stomach, that made me question all of humanity, not just those involved in committing such heinous acts as the Nazis. Triumph of the Heart is a poignant and visceral representation of the Holocaust–but, even more, the world as a whole. 

As Triumph of the Heart draws near its conclusion, the operatic music that accompanies the slow deaths of many of the characters that have existed throughout the entirety of this film evokes a sense of discomfort and supreme sorrow by which I felt consumed. At this moment I had become so immersed in the film that it felt nearly impossible to look away–and I was forced to face the tragic demise of so many innocent souls face to face. 

Triumph of the Heart is a gut punch, a series of them. It reminds us not only of the horrific things that happen each and every day, but of the good that still exists in people that is so often overlooked and forgotten. I’m not one to push religion or spirituality, as I firmly believe you should practice in a way that makes you feel most comfortable–but it’s very possible that Triumph of the Heart is one of the greatest arguments for entrusting your life in God, that there is something or someone out there that has the power to support us in the most inexplicable ways. Triumph of the Heart is stunning; a film that moved me so powerfully. 

Written & Directed by Anthony Di’Ambrosio. 

Starring Marcin Kwaśny, Rowan Polonski, Oleg Karpenko, Armand Prcacci, Aleksa Ilić, etc. 

8.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING