Refine Reviews: Triumph of the Heart

Viewer discretion advised: “The Triumph of the Heart” covers mature topics that some viewers may find disturbing. It is currently unrated (NR).

“Triumph of the Heart” is a gut-wrenching look into St Maximillian Kolbe’s last two weeks of life. Hitting theaters on September 12th, this production by Sherwood Fellows is one that you will not easily forget. The film opens with St Kolbe’s well-known sacrifice — his offer to take the place of another prisoner who has been sentenced to the starvation bunker. The film takes viewers deeper by giving them a front row seat on the torturous final days that Kolbe spent without food or water alongside nine other Auschwitz victims.

The film excels at jarring the audience out of the complacent comfort that is so easy to adopt in our modern day of convenience. The depiction of Auschwitz is gritty and uncomfortable to watch, and rightly so. By design, it shows you the deeply human struggle against evil and forces viewers to contemplate the weight and value of human life. In the best way, it compels the audience to come face-to-face with the big questions of life. Why is there evil? What is forgiveness? And what makes life worth living? The portrayal of St Kolbe is accessible, but deeply rousing. His tenacious spirit and resolve to do the good is in no way trite or oversimplified. His holiness is shown in the little things, most predominantly his unwavering hope and his belief that love has already conquered.

The film prods viewers to consider many thought-provoking themes on the sanctity of life and the need for a savior. It invites contemplation on the philosophical difference between Kolbe volunteering himself for the starvation chamber (a surefire death sentence) and the already condemned prisoners’ temptation to choose suicide. It also explores the nature of hope—Does the hope of the prisoners lie in the outcome that they might be released? Or is it the authentic hope in Christ that the war with evil has already been won, once and for all?

Additionally, it is tempting for the Auschwitz victims to see the Nazis as the only enemy, as if they are evil itself. But rather, through moving scenes showcasing the sacrament of confession, the character of Kolbe shows that the battle with evil is not only bigger than his present strife, but also universal enough that it wages on in every human heart even today. 

Viewers may note that the title of the film is a cunning juxtaposition of Hitler’s propaganda piece of a similar title, “The Triumph of the Will.” In every way, Kolbe is the antithesis of the Nazi regime, but it is in the subtle differences where the true heart of his sainthood lies. The film encourages viewers to see that the death-defying survival of these prisoners was not an act of human strength and willpower, but rather one of faithfulness and mercy— truly a triumph of the heart.

This film is a must-see for anyone caught up in the humdrum of modern busyness. Kolbe’s witness in “Triumph of the Heart” is a jarring reminder of the precious gift of salvation and a fearless test of the depths of Divine Mercy.