NR | 1h 49m | Drama | 2025
Many consider Jan Karski’s famous report to be the earliest documentation exposing the National Socialist (Nazi) concentration camps. But the eyewitness account written by Solomon Wiener (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) was the first to reach the Allies. It also detailed the genocidal process more thoroughly.
Wiener and his companion, Michael Podchlebnik (Jeremy Neumark Jones), knew firsthand of what he wrote because they survived the Chelmno death camp in Poland. However, instead of escaping to safety, they risked their lives to spread the shocking truth. Director-screenwriter Lior Geller dramatizes their harrowing story in “The World Will Tremble.”
Weiner (who later assumed the alias Yakob Grojanowski) and Podchlebnik were among the handful of prisoners spared death at Chelmno so they could dig mass graves. They didn’t consider themselves fortunate. On the contrary, they were forced to witness the murders of their families and then dispose of their bodies while enduring regular beatings from the guards. At one point, the grief-stricken Podchlebnik even begged for execution, but the officers refused, preferring to further exploit his labor.
Escape and Reprisal
Given the situation, Podchlebnik agrees with Weiner that they really have nothing left to lose in planning an escape. They realize that those Jewish prisoners left behind would likely face reprisals for any potential escape attempt. Out of a sense of duty and community, they fully discuss their plans with their fellow prisoners. This entails a great deal of risk, especially since many in the camp still cling to the false hope of imminent liberation. (In fact, Chelmno remained lethally operational for roughly another 18 months.)Despite the mixed blessings of their comrades, Wiener and Podchlebnik commence their desperate escape attempt. They hope to give their testimony to Rabbi Schulman (Anton Lesser). The rabbi has connections to the Resistance, according to their friend Wolf Kaminsky (Charlie MacGechan), who originally developed their escape plan. Ironically, that means they must break into the Polish Ghetto after escaping Chelmno.
In some ways, their improvised flight turns into an action thriller reminiscent of “The Great Escape.” They steal the motorcycle and uniforms from a police officer who quietly helped the prisoners. It’s also worth noting that a Polish woman treats them compassionately. Geller shows the best and the worst of the Polish people under German occupation.
The Camps and Ghettos
The film also re-creates the grim realities of Chelmno and the Jewish ghettos. The empty streets of the ghetto, patrolled only by German soldiers and Kappos (residents who cooperated with the Nazis) are especially eerie. It is important to understand that “The World Will Tremble” documents a time relatively early in the Holocaust, before the development of full-scale gas chambers, like those depicted in films like “Schindler’s List.”Instead, the Nazis employed carbon monoxide from truck engines to exterminate Jews by the trailer-load. It was a cruel process that Geller represents in a historically accurate manner, without giving punishing attention to the gruesome particulars. Geller demonstrates admirable restraint throughout the film, which easily could have been far more graphic.
Rather, he more edifyingly focuses on the courage and sacrifice of Wiener and Podchlebnik, who selflessly sought to reveal the truth so that others might live. Many might recognize Jackson-Cohen from villainous roles (including “The Invisible Man,” “Faster” and “Wilderness”); he’s terrific as Wiener. Throughout the film, he looks physically and emotionally exhausted. Jones might be even more poignant as Podchlebnik, whose grief remains more raw and fresh.
Jackson-Cohen and Jones necessarily carry the film, since they’re in nearly every scene. Lesser also stands out for his achingly human and humane supporting portrayal of Rabbi Schulman, who must quickly come to terms with Wiener’s horrific report. As for their tormentor-captors, David Kross (“War Horse”) stands out as the sinister SS officer, Lange.
For obvious reasons, the film’s major Jewish characters have a staggeringly high mortality rate, but there are survivors. Regardless, they successfully passed Wiener’s report all the way to the Allies. BBC radio then broadcast it over the airwaves.
“The World Will Tremble” is also a highly effective wartime manhunt thriller and an inspiring story of sacrifice. The realities of the Holocaust are inescapable throughout the film. Yet it celebrates those who chose to fight for truth and freedom. Highly recommended.
