Rose falls in line with the long tradition of somber Polish martyr tales from the Second World War. Though more modern takes on the war have some new wrinkles, such as the once uncomfortable admission of Polish collaborators with the Soviets and Nazis, the basic stories of the protagonists and how they fit into Poland's narrative remains the same. The focus of the story is often still a person, an altruist and martyr, struggling to survive in a world where altruism has no answers.Rose is the tale of a widowed woman, her daughter, and a former AK officer hiding his identity, trying to survive the chaotic post-war environment of rural Poland. Their surroundings are constantly hostile, Russian soldiers, a burgeoning Communist Party and opportunists all do their best to take advantage of the chaos. Violence, rape, looting the corpses left behind by the war, or the ever present minefields, there is nothing romantic, or joyous. The only option is survival, and the protagonist's hope for a piece of their prewar dignity. The film, in it's affectation, does well to reflect this. It's color is purposely muted, as if still covered in a layer of ash. The sun is never allowed to shine through the clouds, and the coming of a hard winter looms over everything. All this however, makes watch the film itself difficult. The story hardly lets up, and it's darkness and violence wears on you. It makes for an experience that is difficult to watch, and you can become desensitized to it's violence. It becomes easier and easier to disengage.You can't deny the film's attempt of a honest portrayal of that tragic era of Polish history. However, the film almost chases these tragedies with reckless abandon. The film opens with the protagonist begin forced to watch the rape of wife by German soldiers, in the wreckage of their destroyed and burning home. A valid metaphor, but not a particularly sophisticated one. Though, as an experience the problems of its dramatic construction keep the film from being brilliant, it is well filmed and acted. Worth seeing, in the interest of history, but difficult to watch and definitely not for everyone.

cold, harsh, bitter. only testimony. reflection of a time. or only picture of an ordinary story. a woman. a man. end of a war. beginning of other. a farm. and mixture between fear, hope and drops of joy. more than a film, it is a travel in the heart of reality. emotions, tension, and gray nuances. nothing else. only a slice from East. and a different lesson of history. because all is testimony. with perfect instruments, with desire to not forgive, to present not exactly an individual tragedy but sufferance of a land who can be Masuria, Bukovina, Kosovo or Alsace.a woman, a man, a love story out of declaration and a war traces. like remember. like profound, silent cry. or only, like a testimony. from a past who is seed for future.

*** This review may contain spoiler *** I just finished watching the film Róza. 2011 or in English (Rose). This film is not for the weak at heart because of the gut wrenching documentary of what these women & families experienced, especially the rape scenes. So please no children or even teens. But the reason I have shared (and I rarely if ever do recommend a film online) is that this story is I believe historically accurate & gives cushioned Americans ready to riot if their favorite sandwich shop is closed early, an idea of the reality many then (and sadly now) face. I know we say yeah yeah I face it everyday, or my ancestors did, etc...yet if so...why the lack of discipline in face of minor life inconveniences? This is one of the best unintentional love stories & yet it would be an insult to label it such. IMDp gives a summary that 'attempts' to summarize the film...but please note it does not do it justice.

If you are looking for an action movie look somewhere else. This is not the movie for you.This is a very dark, life like story of hardship that pulls no punches.It starts just after the end of WWII in 1945 and is a drama about Poles living in Masuria, an area of land the mostly comprises lakes and forests in East Prussia, which was part of Germany.When the Russians took over the area after it had been liberated, they trusted no one and regarded the locals as Germans and treated them as such.From the Russian's point of view, most Poles had collaborated with the Germans or mem­bers of the Polish Home Army (The Polish Home Army had tried to establish an independent Polish state).The movie revolves around Rose, a Polish woman who was married to a German soldier. After he was killed during the the war, she is left alone on their farm to fend for herself. She like most single woman had no defense against Russian soldiers who raped the women as a form of revenge.She also had no defense against her Polish neighbors and countrymen who robbed and stole to stay alive when they had no other way of surviving.Rose's saviour arrives in the form of Tadeusz, a former officer in the Polish Home Army who has survived the war and is attempting to hide his identity. He helps Rose to clear her fields of mines and start growing potatoes again, but Rose falls ill due to the many rapes that she has endured and dies.Unfortunately one of Tadeusz's corrupt comrades who has fallen in with the Russians betrays his identity and he taken away and tortured.A very realistic movie that can be enjoyed if you are prepared for the no holds barred realism that must have been after WWII.