‘My Name Is Sara’ tells true story of Jewish girl concealing her identity in Nazi-occupied Ukraine

“My Name Is Sara” is a searing drama based on the true story of a 13-year-old Jewish girl who survived in Nazi-occupied Ukraine by posing as Ukrainian Orthodox Christian while living with a family of farmers who were unaware of her true identity. This well-crafted, beautifully acted, survivor story drama is so tense it plays out more like a thriller, as this young teen pulls off an amazing feat of concealing in plain sight. The drama’s setting — in Ukraine — gives the film a certain timeliness at this moment.

Many Jews tried to survive the Shoah by adopting Christian identities, and the fear of discovery gives such hidden identity stories an inherent tension, but “My Name Is Sara” is exceptional. Not only is young Sara hiding from the Nazis, but she must conceal her Jewish identify from the very family she is living with. The risk of discovery is ever-present, and Sara has no one she can trust. In flashback, we see Sara’s parents (Ksawery Szlenkier and Aleksandra Pisula) exhort her to survive at any cost. Surviving will be our revenge, her mother tells her.

Director Steven Oritt interviewed the real Sara Goralnik Shapiro extensively before her death in 2018, information that David Himmelstein used in writing his script. This 2019 film was made with the support of Steven Spielberg’s USC Shoah Foundation. The real Sara’s son, Mickey Shapiro, served as executive producer. It has played several film festivals, where it has been nominated or won awards, including the 2020 Miami Jewish Film Festival and the 2019 Warsaw Jewish Film Festival

Sara’s (newcomer Zuzanna Surowy) home is Korets, a town with a large, well-integrated Jewish population in western Ukraine, an area that was part of Poland when the Nazis invaded. As the film opens, Sara and her older brother Moishe (Konrad Cichon) are in the woods, fleeing the ghetto where their parents and young brothers are trapped, and attempting to cross over into Ukraine in the Soviet Union, an area the Nazis also occupy. Their goal is to reach a farm where their parents have paid an old woman to shelter them.

But as soon as they arrive, Moishe realizes they can’t stay, as the nervous woman is likely to betray them. “You would do better without me,” he tells his younger sister, noting her appearance makes it easier for her to pass as non-Jewish. The next morning, Sara makes the tough choice to leave while her brother sleeps.

After making her way through the woods, Sara emerges in a field where a Ukrainian farmer, Ivan (Pawel Krolikowski), and his son Grisha (Piotr Nerlewski) are working. She tells Ivan she is looking for work, that her name is Manya Romanchuk and she has run away from a troubled home life in Korets. The farmer is suspicious and asks if she is Jewish, which Sara denies, and he then demands she cross herself as proof she is Christian. Satisfied, he takes her to his brother Pavlo (Eryk Lubos) and his younger wife Nadya (Michalina Olszanska), for whom she can work as a nanny for their two young sons. Again, Sara is challenged to prove she is not Jewish and, again, passes the test, although her new employers remain wary.

While Sara faces constant threat of discovery, she also learns things about her Ukrainian employers that can help her. They hate the German occupiers, too, and are not so fond of the Russians either. She also learns that the husband and wife each have secrets, and each tries to enlist her support in their troubled marriage.

However, the Ukrainian farmers are no fans of Jews either, with antisemitism entrenched in the community.

The film also periodically reminds us of the deadly price the Nazis impose on those who do shelter Jews. When another Jewish girl turns up at the farm, Sara tries to help without giving herself away, another reminder of the constant danger.

There is much to admire about this film but not all is perfect. Some of the exposition is unclear, and we are not entirely certain what is happening between Sara and Pavlo, although he is clearly attracted to her. The film also has the characters speak in English when they are presumably speaking in Ukrainian but uses subtitles for other languages, which some viewers might find awkward.

As the story unfolds, what is most astonishing is Sara’s ability to pass as Ukrainian Orthodox Christian. Time and again, her employers test her, suspicious that she may be Jewish, asking her to cross herself, eat pork and even recite Christian prayers. Although we eventually learn the reason for her knowledge, we remain impressed that one so young can so coolly pull off the impersonation.

Director Oritt does a masterful job with keeping tension high overall, without ever wearing us out with the suspense. Surowy’s portrayal of Sara is impressive, particularly considering her lack of acting experience. Her still, sad face has an inherent, underlying steel to it, which serves the film well.

All in all, “My Name Is Sara” is a worthy drama, an impressive true story of Shoah survival by a girl on her own, forced to conceal her identity and live by her wits, told with a striking thriller vibe.

“My Name Is Sara,” in English and Polish, German and Russian with English subtitles, opens Friday, Aug. 19, at Marcus’ Des Peres Cinema.