Watch The Auschwitz Report

The Auschwitz Report, released in 2021, is a harrowing movie exploring the dark history of one of the most notorious concentration camps of World War II. Based on the true story of two Slovak Jews - Alfred Wetzler and Rudolf Vrba - who were able to escape the death-camp, it is a sobering reminder of the atrocities that were committed within those walls.

The movie opens with the two men being transported to Auschwitz in April 1944. They quickly realize the gravity of their situation, and as they are stripped and shaved and thrown into the communal barracks, they begin to carefully observe and document everything they see.

Wetzler and Vrba's mission is to report back to the world with the truth about the atrocities being committed inside the camp. They carefully observe and document everything they can - the brutal medical experiments, the gas chambers, the crematoriums, and the inhumane living conditions the inmates are forced to endure.

As the days , the pair become increasingly desperate to escape and make their report. They hatch a plan - to cut a hole in the roof of one of the barracks and escape during the confusion that ensues while the SS attend to a nearby bombing raid.

The sequence where Wetzler and Vrba attempt their escape is both powerful and deeply moving. The tension is almost unbearable as they inch their way through the roof, avoiding detection from guards below.

The escape is successful, and the pair are able to make their way to Slovakia, where they write a report detailing everything they saw inside the camp. They present their findings to Jewish leaders and the Slovak resistance, as well as officials from the Red Cross.

At this point, the movie takes a more political turn, exploring the way in which the report was received (or not received) by those in power. There are tense scenes where the activists attempt to persuade a skeptical Red Cross official to believe their report, as well as more bureaucratic scenes where officials debate whether or not to act on the information.

Throughout it all, the horror of what Wetzler and Vrba witnessed is never far from the surface. The movie doesn't shy away from the most graphic elements of their report - there are scenes of rancid living conditions, the piles of dead bodies that litter the camps, and the unimaginable cruelty of the SS officers who kept them there.

Despite the graphic content, however, The Auschwitz Report is a beautifully crafted movie. The performances are all top-notch, with Noel Czuczor and Peter Ondrejicka bringing sensitivity and nuance to their roles as Wetzler and Vrba. Elsewhere, Florian Panzner is excellent as one of the more sympathetic officials who is moved by the report.

The cinematography is also very impressive. There are some genuinely breath-taking shots, particularly during the dramatic escape sequence, that use the vast, imposing architecture of the camp to full effect.

Overall, The Auschwitz Report is an absolutely essential watch. It's a reminder of one of the darkest periods of human history, but also of the courage and strength that people were able to show in the face of unimaginable horror. It's not an easy watch, but it's an important one.