Music was his ion. Survival was his masterpiece.

If you ever thought your week was bad, try being Władysław Szpilman, a Jewish pianist in Nazi-occupied Poland, just trying to survive and maybe play some Chopin without getting shot.

Directed by Roman Polanski (a man who knows a thing or two about trauma), The Pianist is a haunting, quiet, and painfully real survival story. Adrien Brody basically starves himself and still manages to act circles around everyone, no surprise he won…