The Midwife

Poland2020documentary54'Panorama polskiego dokumentu (2020)

The protagonist of the film is Stanisława Leszczyńska, a heroine of the wartime occupation who had worked as a midwife before the war and later helped Jews from the Łódź ghetto. She was captured by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz, where her mission began. She helped women to deliver their babies at the most sinister place on Earth. The documentary by Maria Stachurska attempts to answer the question about the source of strength of a person fighting for human dignity in extremely inhumane circumstances. Accounts and archival materials illustrated with Michał Lorenc’s music make the portrait of a midwife whose vocation was stronger than the orders given by doctor Mengele.