Ashes and Diamonds

1h 43m · 1958 · Directed by Andrzej Wajda · 4.0 / 5 on Letterboxd

Ashes and Diamonds (1958) runs 1h 43m, directed by Andrzej Wajda. It is one of 3,647 films in the 100 Minute Movies catalog — every one rated 3.0 or higher by Letterboxd members and short enough to finish in an evening.

A young academy soldier, Maciek Chelmicki, is ordered to shoot the secretary of the KW PPR. A coincidence causes him to kill someone else. Meeting face to face with his victim, he gets a shock. He faces the necessity of repeating the assassination. He meets Krystyna, a girl working as a barmaid in the restaurant of the "Monopol" hotel. His affection for her makes him even more aware of the senselessness of killing at the end of the war. Loyalty to the oath he took, and thus the obligation to obey the order, tips the scales.

Genres: Drama, War, Romance

Where to watch: HBO Max (US, checked 9 July 2026)