Based on a shocking real-life tale, this gripping new drama follows 13-year-old Sara, whose world is torn apart after her family’s brutal murder. To survive, she must erase her identity, living every day under a false name, where a single slip could mean instant death.
Set during humanity’s darkest hour, critics are calling it “unshakable,” “gut-wrenching,” and “the most powerful story Netflix has released in years.”
Childhood stolen. Family gone. Identity vanished. Courage unforgettable.
NOW STREAMING — the story that will haunt you long after the screen goes dark.
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“My Name Is Sara,” directed by Steven Oritt from a script by David Himmelstein, is a worthy addition to the seemingly endless string of fact-inspired, Holocaust stories that have vitally found their way to the big and small screens.
It’s an absorbing, affecting, well-performed look at several years in the life of Sara Góralnik, who, in 1942 at age 12, escaped imminent death at the hands of the German army by fleeing her Polish town of Korets (in what is now Ukraine) and making her way, against the odds, to the Ukrainian countryside.
Sara (Zuzanna Surowy) changes her name to Manya (after a classmate), credibly passes herself off as a 14-year-old Orthodox Christian and is taken in by boorish farmer Pavlo (Eryk Lubos) and his chilly young wife, Nadya (Michalina Olszanska), to serve as a nanny to their two young boys. But can Sara’s true identity stay a secret amid the barrage of suspicion coming from every corner of her new life?
This potentially fatal reveal generates most of the film’s sizable — and deftly constructed — tension as the story tracks Sara’s grueling months hiding out on the increasingly beleaguered farm. Whether it’s deflecting Pavlo’s baser intentions, keeping Pavlo and Nadya’s sexual secrets, enduring the terrors of the area’s Nazi occupiers or braving a marauding band of Russian partisans, Sara’s keen and crafty survival instincts are always on display — and stirring to behold.
That we’re enveloped by her treacherous plight from start to finish is due in no small part to first-time actor Surowy’s gripping, deeply textured and sympathetic performance.
This atmospheric film, shot entirely in northeastern Poland, has its share of physically and emotionally tough moments, including a Hitler-ordered execution of innocent Ukrainian townsfolk and flashbacks to the loving, ill-fated family Sara had to leave behind. But no scene proves more unpredictably powerful than one in which a desperate Pavlo must plow an immense field with the excruciating help of a dying cow. It’s a haunting and harrowing sequence within a thoroughly resonant portrait.
Netflix Drops a True Story That Will Haunt You: ‘My Name Is Sara’ Explores One Girl’s Unbreakable Courage Amid the Holocaust
In an era where streaming giants churn out endless content, few stories cut as deeply as those rooted in unvarnished human truth. Netflix’s latest addition to its growing library of historical dramas, My Name Is Sara, arrives like a quiet thunderclap—a gripping, unflinching tale of survival that transforms a 13-year-old girl’s nightmare into a testament to resilience. Based on the real-life ordeal of Sara Góralnik, the film follows a young Jewish girl whose world shatters in the shadow of Nazi-occupied Ukraine. Her family’s brutal murder forces her to shed her identity like a second skin, adopting a false name and Orthodox Christian facade to evade certain death. Set against the backdrop of humanity’s darkest hour, this drama doesn’t just recount history; it burrows into the soul, leaving viewers haunted by its raw power. Critics hail it as “unshakable” and “gut-wrenching,” with one reviewer calling it “the most powerful story Netflix has released in years.” Now streaming, My Name Is Sara promises to linger long after the credits roll, a poignant reminder of stolen childhoods and the fierce will to endure.
The film opens in 1942, amid the chaos of World War II’s Eastern Front. Sara, portrayed with heartbreaking authenticity by newcomer Zoya Makharadze, is a bright, spirited 13-year-old living in a Polish Jewish ghetto. Her life, already strained by persecution, unravels in an instant when Nazi forces liquidate the ghetto. In a scene that seizes the heart and refuses to let go, Sara witnesses the execution of her parents and siblings—shot point-blank in a hail of indifference. The brutality is visceral yet restrained, director Steven Oritt opting for implication over graphic excess to amplify the terror of loss. Orphaned and alone, Sara flees into the Ukrainian countryside, her only possessions a tattered dress and the weight of unimaginable grief. To survive, she must reinvent herself as “Sofiya,” a Ukrainian orphan claiming Orthodox Christian roots, reciting prayers she memorizes on the fly and suppressing every trace of her Jewish heritage.
What elevates My Name Is Sara beyond a standard Holocaust narrative is its intimate lens on the psychological toll of concealment. Sara finds temporary refuge with a childless farming couple, Petro (Alex Burenko) and Olena (Orla Brady), who take her in out of pity. But safety is illusory; one slip—a Yiddish slip of the tongue, a hesitant sign of the cross—could unravel everything. The film masterfully builds tension through everyday perils: a neighbor’s suspicious glance during a village church service, the rumble of German patrols echoing in the distance, or Petro’s volatile temper hinting at collaborationist sympathies. Sara’s internal world is a storm of suppressed memories; flashbacks to her family’s Sabbath dinners clash with her rote performance of Christian rituals, underscoring the erasure of self required for survival. “Every day is a performance,” Sara confides in a rare moment of vulnerability, her voice cracking under the strain of perpetual vigilance.
This isn’t mere historical fiction—it’s a faithful adaptation of Sara Góralnik’s memoir, My Name Is Sara: A True Story of Courage and Hope. Born in 1929 in Łódź, Poland, the real Sara faced ghetto internment before the 1942 liquidation that claimed her family. At just 13, she escaped to Ukraine, navigating a landscape rife with antisemitism and informants. Posing as a Christian, she labored on farms, endured abuse, and once barely escaped a Nazi roundup by hiding in a pigsty for days. Her story, one of countless hidden child survivors, gained wider recognition through Oritt’s passion project, which he developed after interviewing Sara in the 1990s. Tragically, Góralnik passed away in 2017 at 88, before seeing the film realized, but her words infuse every frame: “I didn’t just hide my name; I hid my soul.” The production’s authenticity shines through in meticulous details—the mud-churned paths of rural Ukraine recreated in Bulgaria’s lush countryside, period-accurate folk costumes, and a score by Alexandre Desplat that weaves haunting klezmer motifs into Orthodox hymns.
Critics and early viewers have been unanimous in their praise, though not without noting the film’s emotional heft. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 92% approval rating, with reviewers applauding its thriller-like pacing in a genre often mired in sentimentality. The Hollywood Reporter called it “a taut, unflinching portrait of innocence weaponized against atrocity,” while Variety praised Makharadze’s “luminous debut, conveying terror and tenacity with a single widened eye.” For audiences, the resonance is personal. Social media buzzes with testimonials: One X user shared, “Watched My Name Is Sara last night—couldn’t sleep. Sara’s courage at 13… it’s a gut-punch reminder of what hate steals.” Another reflected, “In today’s world, this story hits harder. Childhood stolen, but spirit unbroken. #MyNameIsSara.” The film’s release coincides with rising global antisemitism, amplifying its timeliness; it’s not just a history lesson but a mirror to contemporary perils of identity and erasure.
At its core, My Name Is Sara grapples with profound themes: the fragility of self amid genocide, the moral ambiguities of survival, and the quiet heroism of the overlooked. Sara’s arc isn’t triumphant in the Hollywood sense—no sweeping rescues or vengeful reckonings—but profoundly human. She navigates the farmers’ strained marriage, becoming an unwitting confidante to Olena’s quiet despair and Petro’s simmering rage. These relationships add layers of complexity; the couple aren’t villains but products of their time, their kindness laced with ignorance. Sara’s “performance” extends to emotional labor, feigning gratitude while mourning in silence. Yet, glimmers of hope pierce the gloom—a stolen moment reading a forbidden book, a furtive Yiddish lullaby whispered at night—affirming that identity, though buried, endures.
Director Steven Oritt, whose previous works include documentaries on Soviet-era dissidents, brings a documentarian’s eye to the drama. He avoids clichés, letting silence and subtle gestures speak volumes. The cinematography by Oleksandr Kucher captures the Ukrainian steppes’ stark beauty as both sanctuary and trap, golden fields framing Sara’s isolation like a living cage. Performances elevate the material: Brady’s Olena radiates weary compassion, while Burenko’s Petro simmers with unspoken threats. But it’s Makharadze, a Georgian theater actress making her screen debut, who anchors the film. At 14 during filming, she embodies Sara’s duality—childlike wonder clashing with premature wisdom—with a rawness that feels lived-in.
Netflix’s decision to platform My Name Is Sara underscores its commitment to substantive storytelling amid lighter fare. Acquired after a festival run that included Sundance and Berlin, the film slots into the streamer’s Holocaust canon alongside The Pianist and All Quiet on the Western Front. Yet, it stands apart for centering a female, child survivor’s voice—a rarity in male-dominated narratives. Educational tie-ins, like director Q&As and survivor testimonies on Netflix’s Tudum site, enhance its impact, encouraging viewers to explore resources from the USC Shoah Foundation.
As the end credits roll, My Name Is Sara doesn’t offer easy catharsis. Instead, it leaves you with Sara’s real-life post-war journey: immigrating to the U.S., building a family, and reclaiming her name through advocacy. Her story, one of over 1.5 million Jewish children lost to the Shoah, whispers a defiant truth: From the ashes of identity stolen, courage is forged. In a world still grappling with division, this film isn’t just haunting—it’s essential. Stream it now, but brace yourself; Sara’s gaze will follow you into the dark, a beacon of unbreakable light.
