From behind him, a GLOW builds — soft at first, then
dazzling.
Raymund opens his eyes.
He turns.
A WOMAN in brilliant robes stands above him.
OUR LADY (O.S.)
My son... do you wish to accept one
of these?
She holds out TWO CROWNS:
One WHITE — gleaming with purity. One RED — deep, ominous.
RAYMUND
What are they?
OUR LADY (O.S.)
The white means you shall live in
chastity. The red means you will
die a martyr.
Raymund looks at them. Then —
RAYMUND
I choose both.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Drama","Historical","Fantasy"]
Ratings
Scene
2 -
Choices of the Heart
INT. KOLBE HOME – NIGHT
Dimly lit. A modest, poor kitchen. RAYMUND sits at the table,
head bowed. Across from him —
MOTHER KOLBE
You saw her again, didn’t you?
He nods. She puts a hand over her mouth.
MOTHER KOLBE (CONT’D)
And you chose both?
He nods again.
MOTHER KOLBE (CONT’D)
Then I have already lost you.
She gets up and walks out. A DOOR creaks. RAYMUND is left
alone.
INT. CHURCH CONFESSIONAL – DAY
RAYMUND kneels. The screen slides open.
PRIEST (O.S.)
Go ahead, my son.
RAYMUND
I wish to love as Christ did. Even
if it means suffering.
PRIEST (O.S.)
That is a dangerous prayer,
Raymund.
RAYMUND
I know.
PRIEST (O.S.)
And yet you ask it.
RAYMUND
I want to be his knight. I want to
wear both crowns.
The PRIEST remains silent.
PRIEST (O.S.)
Then prepare your heart. Because
God will not forget this.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
3 -
A Choice of Crowns
EXT. SEMINARY COURTYARD – DAY – YEARS LATER
RAYMUND (now 18), dressed in a modest cassock, walks with a
satchel under one arm.
Other young men laugh, argue, whisper about politics.
But Raymund walks in silence.
He pauses to look up at the crucifix in the courtyard.
RAYMUND (V.O.)
Take everything, Lord. My mind. My
body. But let me keep my soul for
you.
FADE TO BLACK.
TITLE OVER: “BASED ON A TRUE STORY”
FADE IN:
EXT. POLISH COUNTRYSIDE – NIGHT – 1894
A clear sky. Stars flicker above dense woods and crooked
homes.
In the distance — church bells ring.
INT. FAMILY SHRINE ROOM – NIGHT
A humble, candlelit corner. Threadbare curtain. Dirt floor.
RAYMOND KOLBE (10) kneels before a modest statue of the
Virgin Mary.
His face is tear-streaked, hands clasped in prayer.
RAYMOND
(whispers)
Why did You make me? What do You
want from me?
A sudden light swells behind the statue — not from the
candle.
He gasps.
THE VIRGIN MARY appears in ethereal light. Serene. Radiant.
She holds two crowns:
— One white, glowing softly
— One red, burning faintly
VIRGIN MARY
One is for purity.
The other… for martyrdom.
Raymond trembles. A breath. Then:
RAYMOND
I choose both.
The vision grows brighter — engulfing everything.
SUPERIMPOSE:
“Based on a true story.”
Genres:
["Drama","Biography"]
Ratings
Scene
4 -
A Moment of Light in Darkness
INT. FRANCISCAN SEMINARY - CHAPEL - DAY (1908)
Dim morning light slants through tall stained glass windows.
YOUNG KOLBE (14), in his humble brown habit, kneels rigidly
in a pew. Sweat beads on his brow. His lips move in silent,
fervent prayer.
KOLBE (V.O.)
Mother of God, help me suffer well.
To carry whatever cross You send.
His hands tighten on the rosary — white beads like bone.
A BELL rings. He rises.
INT. SEMINARY DINING HALL - DAY
Spartan and quiet. Boys eat in silence.
Kolbe stares at his bowl of gruel but doesn’t eat. Beside
him, BROTHER PIOTR (15), wiry and bright-eyed, leans over.
PIOTR
You’ll fade into the walls at this
rate.
Kolbe manages a faint smile.
KOLBE
Christ fasted for forty days.
PIOTR
You’re not Him.
(beat)
Not yet.
INT. SEMINARY LIBRARY - NIGHT
Candlelight. Kolbe pores over a Latin Bible. Piotr sprawls
nearby, bored.
PIOTR
If we’re called to be martyrs,
shouldn’t we do something first?
Like live a little?
KOLBE
Saints don’t live for themselves.
PIOTR
Maybe not. But they smile
sometimes.
Kolbe looks up — and actually chuckles. A rare moment of
warmth.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
5 -
Pledges of Faith and Friendship
EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - POLAND - DAY (1910)
Two young seminarians walk in cassocks. A MILITIA TRUCK rolls
past, German officers riding in back.
Kolbe turns his head away — but Piotr stares, defiant.
PIOTR
They think Poland is theirs.
KOLBE
God alone decides what is His.
EXT. MONASTERY GARDEN - SUNSET
Kolbe kneels under a fig tree, eyes closed.
KOLBE (V.O.)
I will be the instrument. Your
voice. Your sword. Your silence.
INT. SEMINARY INFIRMARY - NIGHT
Piotr lies on a cot, pale and feverish. Kolbe sits beside
him, praying softly.
PIOTR (WEAK)
Promise me something.
KOLBE
Anything.
PIOTR
When the time comes... You won’t
run from the fire.
Kolbe clasps his hand.
KOLBE
I won’t. I promise.
CUT TO:
INT. VATICAN COURTYARD - DAY (1912)
A YOUNG KOLBE (now 18), sharp-eyed and solemn, bows before a
CARDINAL.
CARDINAL
And if the call demands your life?
KOLBE
Then I give it gladly.
The Cardinal nods, moved.
CARDINAL
Welcome to Rome, Brother
Maximilian.
FADE OUT.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
6 -
A Hopeful Milestone
EXT. POLAND – MORNING – 1938 – 44 YEARS LATER
Sun rises behind the sprawling Niepokalanów Monastery.
A horse-drawn cart bumps along the dirt road. Crows scatter.
Bells toll as friars in gray robes bustle through the
compound gates.
A painted sign reads:
NIEPOKALANÓW – CITY OF THE IMMACULATE.
INT. PRINTING PRESS ROOM – CONTINUOUS
Massive printing presses thunder. Steam rises. Metal clanks.
Magazines pour out — clean, defiant, sharp:
“KNIGHT OF THE IMMACULATE”
Truth Over Tyranny
Faith Under Fire
FATHER MAXIMILIAN KOLBE (44) — lean, focused, kind — inspects
pages mid-roll.
A young friar, BROTHER PIOTR, rushes over with ink-stained
hands.
BROTHER PIOTR
Father! We crossed one million
copies last week!
Kolbe gently adjusts the type rollers.
KOLBE
One million seeds. Let’s hope they
land on thirsty ground.
They share a quiet smile.
Genres:
["Historical Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
7 -
A Sanctuary Amidst Shadows
EXT. MONASTERY COURTYARD – LATER
A battered wagon pulls in. Inside: a Jewish couple, a wounded
soldier, a mother with two children.
Kolbe and friars approach. Gently help them down.
KOLBE
You are safe here.
You are always welcome.
He places a hand on the soldier’s shoulder. The man can
barely speak, eyes full.
INT. MONASTERY DINING HALL – THAT EVENING
Friars share a simple meal. Bread. Soup. Humble.
Low chatter. One friar reads the newspaper.
FRIAR ANDREI
The Reich invades Czechoslovakia.
They march closer to our door.
Tension rises.
FRIAR JAN
If they come, we must shut the
press.
Kolbe sips calmly from a tin cup.
KOLBE
No. We speak louder.
INT. KOLBE’S OFFICE – NIGHT
Candlelight glows on religious icons and pages of hand-edited
galleys.
Kolbe reads a letter:
“You are ordered to cease publication of subversive material
or face seizure.”
He places the letter down. Folds it. Lights it on fire over a
tin tray.
INT. MONASTERY CHAPEL – LATE NIGHT
Kolbe kneels alone.
KOLBE
They do not fear guns.
But they fear words.
Let Yours be louder than theirs.
He kisses his rosary. Outside, distant thunder rumbles.
EXT. NIEPOKALANÓW – PRE-DAWN
Fog creeps across the courtyard.
Kolbe walks quietly, passing friars still sleeping. He stops
to cover one with his robe.
Then looks toward the gates... where black trucks wait in the
mist.
KOLBE (V.O.)
To be holy is not to be safe.
It is to be willing.
FADE OUT.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
8 -
A Choice of Crowns
EXT. POLISH COUNTRYSIDE – NIGHT – 1894
The stars blanket a quiet village outside Zduńska Wola.
Horses snort in their stalls. A dog barks, distant.
A flicker of candlelight glows from a small wooden home.
INT. FAMILY CHAPEL – SAME
A humble corner shrine. A statue of the Blessed Virgin stands
above a homemade altar.
Kneeling before it, RAYMOND KOLBE (10) — thin, wide-eyed —
clasps his hands tightly.
Tears stream down his face. He whispers:
RAYMOND
Why am I alive? What do You want
from me?
The candlelight wavers. A breeze?
A sudden celestial glow fills the room.
Raymond blinks.
Before him stands a vision of the VIRGIN MARY, luminous,
serene. In her hands — two crowns:
— One white for purity.
— One red for martyrdom.
VIRGIN MARY
Which will you choose?
Raymond’s breath catches. A pause. Then...
RAYMOND
Both.
The vision brightens—
MATCH CUT TO:
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
9 -
A Triumph of Faith
EXT. NIEPOKALANÓW MONASTERY – MORNING – 1938
A bell tolls. Crows lift from the trees.
The vast Franciscan monastery rises like a fortress of faith,
surrounded by workshops, dormitories, and farmland.
A hand-painted sign:
Niepokalanów – City of the Immaculate.
Dozens of friars in gray habits move briskly through the
grounds.
INT. PRINTING PRESS ROOM – CONTINUOUS
Metal clanks. Presses thunder.
Stacks of "Knight of the Immaculate" magazines fly off the
rollers.
At the center, FATHER MAXIMILIAN KOLBE (44) — wiry, calm,
eyes sharp with focus — inspects each bundle.
A junior friar, BROTHER PIOTR, approaches excitedly.
BROTHER PIOTR
Circulation passed one million,
Father.
Kolbe offers a warm smile. Picks up a copy:
HEADLINE: “The Nazi Lie vs. Christ’s Truth”
KOLBE
The devil roars loudest before his
fall.
He gestures to adjust the type.
Genres:
["Historical Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
10 -
A Costly Commitment
EXT. MONASTERY COURTYARD – LATER
A battered wagon pulls up. In it: Jewish refugees, a widow
clutching her child, a burned-out teacher, a crippled
soldier.
Friars rush to help them down.
Kolbe stands at the gate, greeting each personally. A hand to
a forehead. A whispered blessing.
INT. MONASTERY OFFICE – DAY
A typewritten Gestapo order lies on the desk. Kolbe reads
aloud to FATHER JAN, older, nervous.
KOLBE
“Cease all anti-Reich publication.
Failure to comply will result in
closure and detainment.”
Jan stiffens.
FATHER JAN
They’ll come for you next.
Kolbe sets the paper down without blinking.
KOLBE
They’ll come for someone.
INT. MONASTERY CHAPEL – NIGHT
Candlelight shimmers on polished wood.
Kolbe kneels, praying silently. He fingers his rosary, worn
smooth.
His eyes open — not afraid, but ready.
INT. MONASTERY LIBRARY – EARLY MORNING
FATHER JAN slams down a pamphlet on the table.
FATHER JAN
You’ve called Hitler a devil,
Kolbe.
You publish sermons in six languages. You’re sheltering Jews
in the dormitories.
Kolbe calmly drinks tea.
KOLBE
Yes.
FATHER JAN
This is no longer spiritual
resistance. It’s suicide.
KOLBE
If truth costs nothing, it is not
truth.
Jan exhales. Beat.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
11 -
A Moment of Courage
EXT. MONASTERY STABLE – LATER
Kolbe loads a cart with food and cloth.
DAVID (8), the Jewish boy, helps him tie it.
KOLBE
We’re going to town, brave one.
Think you can guard me?
David nods, serious.
EXT. COUNTRY ROAD – DAY
Kolbe and David walk alongside the donkey cart.
In the distance — a Nazi flag hangs from a train station.
They pass a burned-out farmhouse. Smoke still rises.
Kolbe pauses. His eyes narrow.
EXT. TOWN SQUARE – MOMENTS LATER
German SS soldiers herd villagers into a line. A woman
clutches her baby.
Kolbe tenses — shielding David behind him.
SS OFFICER (IN GERMAN)
No papers. She goes.
A soldier raises his rifle.
Kolbe takes a step forward—
—David pulls him back.
The rifle fires.
The woman drops.
Screams.
Kolbe turns away, trembling.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
12 -
A Moral Choice in Dark Times
INT. PHARMACY – SHORTLY AFTER
Kolbe pays for bandages, avoiding eye contact.
The PHARMACIST slides over the medicine.
PHARMACIST
Leave quickly, Father. They’re not
arresting — they’re erasing.
EXT. ROAD BACK TO MONASTERY – EVENING
David is silent.
DAVID
Why didn’t you stop them?
Kolbe swallows hard.
KOLBE
Sometimes… even God weeps.
INT. MONASTERY CHAPEL – NIGHT
Kolbe kneels alone. The doors creak open.
BROTHER MAREK enters, nervous.
MAREK
More people came. A man with a
broken hand.
A woman missing half a foot.
Kolbe nods.
MAREK (CONT’D)
What if they find them? What if
they find us?
Kolbe opens his eyes.
KOLBE
Then we’ll be found doing what’s
right.
INT. MONASTERY LAUNDRY – NEXT DAY
Refugees huddle in the corner. A woman shushes her coughing
child.
Kolbe distributes food. A man in tattered clothes — ABRAM —
confronts him.
ABRAM
They say they’ll shoot anyone who
hides us.
You’ll die for people you don’t know?
KOLBE
I know you now.
Abram doesn’t respond. But he eats.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War","Religious"]
Ratings
Scene
13 -
A Moment of Safety
EXT. MONASTERY FIELD – EVENING
Friars pray the rosary as the sun sets.
A military truck approaches on the road.
Tension spikes.
Kolbe raises a hand — the friars freeze.
The truck slows…
...and rolls past.
Only after it's gone do they exhale.
INT. KOLBE’S QUARTERS – LATE NIGHT
Kolbe sits at his desk. A single candle flickers.
He takes out a notebook and writes:
If I die, let it be as a witness. If I live, let it be in
service.
He closes the book. Eyes toward the dark window.
In it, his reflection stares back at him.
INT. MONASTERY KITCHEN – DAWN
David plays near the wood stove.
Suddenly — a shout.
He ducks under a table.
Outside the window — TWO SS SOLDIERS walk the outer wall.
David freezes. One soldier’s boots pass inches away.
Kolbe enters, spots the boy trembling.
He gently reaches in and pulls him close.
KOLBE
Shh. You’re safe. You’re always
safe here.
The soldiers pass.
David clings to him tightly.
FADE OUT.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
14 -
A Dawn of Courage
EXT. MONASTERY – DAWN
A black Gestapo truck rolls through the fog. Boots crunch
gravel. Soldiers fan out.
Kolbe walks out calmly, hands folded.
A Gestapo officer reads from a list.
OFFICER
Maximilian Kolbe?
KOLBE
I am he.
They seize him. He nods once to Jan — no words.
INT. PRISON TRANSPORT TRUCK – MOVING – LATER
Dark. Cramped. Packed with priests, dissidents, and Jews.
Kolbe steadies a man who is collapsing. Hands him half his
bread.
A guard slams the butt of a rifle against the wall.
GUARD
Quiet!
Kolbe lowers his voice to a whisper — barely audible.
KOLBE
Hail Mary, full of grace...
EXT. AUSCHWITZ – GATES – MORNING – 1941
Barbed wire. Guard towers. Smoke from chimneys.
A line of shaven-headed prisoners shuffle forward. Rain
falls.
Kolbe steps off the truck, steadies himself.
He stares at the gate.
ARBEIT MACHT FREI
INT. BLOCK 14 – DORMITORY – LATER
Crowded bunks. Moans. Rats.
Kolbe climbs to a top bunk. Next to him — FRANCISZEK
GAJOWNICZEK (30s), gaunt but alert.
Kolbe extends a hand.
KOLBE
Maximilian.
Franciszek nods, reluctant.
EXT. YARD – DAY
Prisoners dig trenches. Guards shout in German.
Kolbe lifts a shovel, hands shaking. The man beside him
collapses. A guard approaches, whip raised.
Kolbe steps subtly between them.
The guard glares. Moves on.
Franciszek watches.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
15 -
Acts of Compassion in Despair
INT. BLOCK 14 – NIGHT
Whispers. Shivers. A man coughs blood.
Kolbe pulls off his cloak and drapes it over a dying man.
Franciszek watches from across the bunk.
FRANCISZEK
You give too much.
KOLBE
There is no “too much” in love.
Silence.
A distant gunshot cracks the air.
EXT. PRISON YARD – TWO DAYS LATER – MIDDAY
A siren blares. Guards rush. Prisoners freeze.
Word spreads: A man has escaped.
Commandant FRITZ KRAUS storms out with his men.
KRAUS
Ten men will die for the one who
fled!
Gasps. Panic. Men fall to their knees.
Kolbe looks to the sky. He knows what’s coming.
FADE TO BLACK.
EXT. PRISON YARD – MOMENTS LATER
Guards shove prisoners into tight rows. Whistles scream. Dogs
bark.
GUARD
Face forward! Eyes down!
Kolbe and Franciszek stand shoulder to shoulder. The tension
is suffocating.
From the back row, a YOUNG MAN (20s) stifles sobs.
YOUNG MAN
They’ll kill us all... they’ll—
A rifle butt crashes into his back.
Kolbe glances. The man can barely stand. No one dares help
him—except Kolbe.
He subtly shifts, bracing the young man upright.
Franciszek whispers under his breath:
FRANCISZEK
You're going to get yourself shot.
Kolbe doesn’t answer.
INT. BLOCK 14 – NIGHT
Cramped. Nearly silent. Just the sounds of coughing,
whimpering, rats.
Prisoners lie awake. No sleep tonight.
Franciszek stares at the ceiling.
FRANCISZEK
You really believe He’s here? In
this place?
Kolbe sits across from him, hands folded over a worn wooden
rosary.
KOLBE
Especially here.
FRANCISZEK
I used to pray. Before I had sons.
Then I prayed harder.
(beat)
Now I just... beg.
Kolbe looks at him with the gentlest expression.
KOLBE
And that, too, is prayer.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
16 -
Compassion Amidst Despair
EXT. WORK SITE – THE NEXT DAY
Kolbe and others move gravel. Guards bark orders. Whips
crack.
A prisoner collapses. A guard draws his pistol without pause.
Kolbe steps forward instinctively—hands raised.
The guard halts. Sneers.
GUARD
You want to join him, priest?
Kolbe stares him down without blinking.
KOLBE
I want only to help.
The guard snorts and waves him off.
Kolbe kneels and helps lift the fallen man’s head.
Franciszek watches from across the yard, stunned.
INT. BLOCK 14 – NIGHT (LATER)
Thunder outside. Rain taps the leaking roof.
Franciszek clutches a scrap of paper — a torn photo of a
woman and two children.
Kolbe sits beside him in silence.
FRANCISZEK
Her name is Helena. That’s Marek
and little Józef.
He rubs his thumb over their faces.
FRANCISZEK (CONT’D)
I begged them not to send me back
to the front.
Begged.
Kolbe places a hand on his shoulder.
KOLBE
They will know you loved them. That
you tried to return.
Franciszek breathes deep, closes his eyes.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
17 -
Courage in Despair
EXT. PRISON YARD – NEXT MORNING
Gray. Muddy. The entire block is forced outside again.
COMMANDANT FRITZ KRAUS strides in, flanked by SS guards.
He stops before the assembled line.
KRAUS
One prisoner has escaped.
Ten of you will die for his cowardice.
Gasps. Moans. A man vomits.
Kraus begins walking the line, pointing with his riding crop.
KRAUS (CONT’D)
You.
You. ...You.
Men scream. Collapse.
He points to FRANCISZEK.
Franciszek lets out a strangled cry — crushed.
FRANCISZEK
My wife! My sons! Please—
Kolbe steps forward.
A single, steady step.
Eyes on the Commandant. Calm. Resolved.
INT. MONASTERY INFIRMARY – MORNING
BROTHER HENRYK, elderly and coughing, lies on a cot. Kolbe
gently wraps his chest.
HENRYK
Don’t waste linen on this bag of
bones.
KOLBE
We are all linen in God’s hands.
A soft smile. Henryk coughs a laugh.
EXT. MONASTERY GROUNDS – LATER
Kolbe walks with FATHER JAN.
FATHER JAN
You push the press harder. You
shelter more people.
And now this pamphlet on Hitler’s lies?
Kolbe stops.
KOLBE
If we wait until it's safe to speak
truth,
truth never gets spoken.
A long beat. Jan doesn’t disagree.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
18 -
The Weight of Truth
INT. MONASTERY PRESS ROOM – NIGHT
Pages fly. Headlines speak fire:
“Pride of the Reich is the Mask of the Devil.”
BROTHER PIOTR reads aloud nervously.
BROTHER PIOTR
“...and whoever denies justice to
the weak, denies Christ himself.”
He swallows.
BROTHER PIOTR (CONT’D)
They will arrest you.
Kolbe takes the page, nods.
KOLBE
They will. But not today.
INT. CHAPEL – LATER
Candles flicker. Rain taps windows.
Kolbe kneels alone. Then — he hears footsteps.
BROTHER MAREK (30s) enters, eyes darting.
MAREK
They’re coming, aren’t they?
Kolbe doesn’t answer.
MAREK (CONT’D)
You should burn the archives. Hide
the press.
Kolbe looks at him for a long moment.
KOLBE
Would you rather live quietly with
lies…
or die loudly with the truth?
Marek doesn't respond. Then leaves.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
19 -
A Moment of Light and Darkness
EXT. TRAIN STATION – DAY
BROTHER MAREK stands near a uniformed man. Tries to blend in.
He passes something — a folded letter — quickly.
INT. MONASTERY KITCHEN – DAY
Kolbe prepares stew with refugees and friars.
One young boy, DAVID (8), wipes flour on his sleeve.
DAVID
Are you Jesus?
Laughter. Kolbe kneels.
KOLBE
No. He just loaned me His kitchen.
EXT. MONASTERY GATES – NIGHT
Two black trucks arrive.
Gestapo soldiers jump out — efficient, armed.
The commander, a grim man in a leather coat, leads the way.
INT. MONASTERY REFECTORY – MOMENTS LATER
Doors SLAM open. Soldiers flood in.
Screams. Friars shoved to the ground.
Kolbe stands tall amid the chaos.
GESTAPO COMMANDER
Maximilian Kolbe?
KOLBE
Yes.
GESTAPO COMMANDER
By order of the Reich, you are
under arrest
for anti-state activity and subversive publishing.
Kolbe glances at the frightened faces around him.
Then calmly places his hands behind his back.
EXT. MONASTERY COURTYARD – MOMENTS LATER
Kolbe is marched through the courtyard. The friars line the
walk, silent.
He passes Brother Marek — eyes lowered.
Kolbe stops briefly.
KOLBE
Forgive them, Lord.
He steps into the truck. The doors slam.
INT. TRUCK – MOVING – LATER
Kolbe sits between political prisoners, their faces gaunt.
He closes his eyes.
FLASHES of:
His printing press running.
David laughing.
The Virgin Mary holding both crowns.
His lips move silently in prayer.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
20 -
Acts of Compassion in Despair
EXT. AUSCHWITZ – PROCESSING YARD – MORNING
Rows of new arrivals — priests, Jews, dissidents — stand
naked in the cold.
Guards bark in German. Hair is shaved. Names replaced by
numbers.
Kolbe steps forward. A number is tattooed on his arm.
SS GUARD
Prisoner 16670.
Kolbe winces. Doesn’t flinch.
INT. DELUSING ROOM – MOMENTS LATER
Prisoners are sprayed with disinfectant and doused with
buckets of water.
Kolbe helps an elderly man who collapses.
A guard stomps over — whip in hand.
GUARD
Let him drown, priest.
Kolbe holds the man up anyway. The whip slashes his back.
He grits his teeth — but stands firm.
EXT. CAMP BLOCKS – DAY
Prisoners march in rows. Head shaved. Eyes blank.
Kolbe stares ahead, jaw set. The camp gates loom behind.
INT. BLOCK 14 – BARRACKS – EVENING
Cramped, damp. Rats scurry beneath bunks.
Kolbe is assigned an upper bunk.
Beneath him — FRANCISZEK GAJOWNICZEK (30s) watches with
guarded eyes.
No words exchanged.
EXT. WORK SITE – NEXT DAY
Prisoners dig trenches in frozen mud.
Guards patrol with rifles and dogs.
Kolbe slips in the trench. A guard kicks him hard in the
ribs.
Franciszek sees this. Looks away.
INT. MESS HALL – NIGHT
Slop is dumped into wooden bowls.
Kolbe receives his. Sees a man next to him passed out.
He gives the man his bread.
Franciszek watches from across the table. Confused.
Intrigued.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
21 -
Hope Amidst Despair
INT. BARRACKS – LATER THAT NIGHT
Whispers. A man sobs. Another coughs blood.
Kolbe prays quietly.
Franciszek sits up.
FRANCISZEK
You pray like we’re not in hell.
Kolbe looks at him.
KOLBE
That’s why we pray.
Franciszek chuckles — bitterly.
EXT. ROLL CALL SQUARE – MORNING
Hundreds stand at attention in the snow.
COMMANDANT KRAUS steps forward — wolfish in appearance.
KRAUS
Some of you still believe you are
men.
Let me remind you — you are numbers.
He motions.
A random prisoner is pulled out of line. Shot in the head.
Kolbe closes his eyes.
Franciszek opens his — horrified.
INT. BARRACKS – THAT NIGHT
Franciszek looks at a torn photo of his wife and children.
Kolbe notices.
KOLBE
They are beautiful.
Franciszek nods, quiet.
FRANCISZEK
I don’t know if I’ll ever see them
again.
KOLBE
They see you now.
EXT. WORKSITE – LATER
Kolbe struggles to lift a beam.
Franciszek silently steps in, helping him shoulder the
weight.
No words.
Just the beginning of trust.
FADE OUT.
EXT. YARD – DAY
Frozen gravel. Gray skies.
Kolbe and others lay rail ties in silence.
A prisoner drops one. A guard beats him without pause.
Kolbe watches. Fists clenched. He lowers his eyes, breathes
deep.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
22 -
Faith Amidst Despair
INT. BARRACKS – LATER
Kolbe wipes blood from his shirt. He helps a younger prisoner
bandage a hand.
PRISONER
Why do you help me?
KOLBE
Because someone once helped me.
The boy stares — not sure what to make of that.
EXT. GUARD TOWER – SAME TIME
COMMANDANT KRAUS surveys the yard. Cold. Precise.
His adjutant approaches.
ADJUTANT
The priest. He gives his bread
away. Tends the sick.
The men whisper prayers at night.
Kraus snorts.
KRAUS
Break him.
INT. INJECTION ROOM – NIGHT
Kolbe and a few others are summoned.
Inside — brutal medical experiments underway.
Kolbe is forced to hold a man down.
The man screams as a needle pierces his stomach.
Kolbe whispers Latin prayers beneath the screams.
INT. BARRACKS – LATER
Franciszek sits beside Kolbe in the dark.
FRANCISZEK
Do you think God watches this?
Kolbe doesn’t answer.
FRANCISZEK (CONT’D)
Because I do. And I think He does
nothing.
Kolbe turns slowly.
KOLBE
Then scream at Him.
That too is faith.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
23 -
A Struggle for Redemption
EXT. PRISON CAMP CHURCH RUINS – NEXT DAY
Prisoners shovel debris from a bombed-out chapel.
Kolbe finds a broken crucifix beneath the rubble.
He tucks it under his shirt, hidden.
INT. MEDIC TENT – EVENING
Kolbe secretly hands off a wadded cloth rosary to a sick man.
No words. Just eye contact.
INT. BARRACKS – NIGHT
Franciszek coughs violently. Feverish.
Kolbe soaks a cloth and presses it to his forehead.
Franciszek mumbles.
FRANCISZEK
You... you’re not afraid of dying?
Kolbe smiles faintly.
KOLBE
I’m afraid of not loving enough
before I do.
INT. BURNT-OUT CHAPEL – NIGHT
What’s left of the chapel is a skeleton of beams and soot.
Cold wind moves through the ruins.
A wooden crucifix, charred but intact, leans against the
wall.
Kolbe kneels before it.
His face — no longer calm.
KOLBE (WHISPERED)
I was afraid once.
He exhales slowly, the weight of it pressing from his chest.
KOLBE (CONT’D)
When they came to my first church
in Warsaw...
I ran.
(beat)
I told myself I had to survive. That I was needed. That I
could help more… alive.
(beat)
But the boy I left behind — Stefan — He didn’t run. He stayed
with the sick. And they shot him.
Kolbe lowers his head.
KOLBE (CONT’D)
I’ve carried his name every day
since.
(beat)
I never told the friars. I said he
died a martyr.
But the truth is...
His blood was on my shoes when I escaped.
A single tear rolls down.
He clenches his fists. Breath shaking.
KOLBE (CONT’D)
So maybe You brought me here.
Not to save anyone.
(beat)
But to finish what I left undone.
He raises his eyes to the cross.
KOLBE (CONT’D)
If fear comes for me again...
Please — let me stand this time.
Kolbe closes his eyes. Peace doesn’t return… ...but resolve
does.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
24 -
A Sacrifice at Dawn
EXT. CAMP YARD – DAWN
A siren wails. Prisoners freeze.
A man has escaped.
The rhythm of death is coming.
EXT. CAMP WALL – THE NEXT MORNING
A prisoner sprints toward the outer fence.
A siren erupts.
Gunshots.
Guards rush.
Kolbe freezes. So does Franciszek.
No one speaks.
INT. BLOCK 14 – IMMEDIATELY AFTER
All men lined up. Guards furious.
Kraus storms in.
KRAUS
One has escaped.
Ten of you will die in his place.
Panic. Screams. Franciszek goes pale.
Kolbe… closes his eyes.
FADE OUT.
EXT. PRISON YARD – CONTINUOUS
Prisoners frozen in tight rows. The silence is suffocating.
COMMANDANT KRAUS walks the line with slow, deliberate menace.
KRAUS
You.
You. ...You.
Each point is death. Guards pull the chosen men roughly from
the line.
Screams erupt.
He points to Franciszek.
Franciszek staggers backward, horrified.
FRANCISZEK
My wife! My sons — please!
He collapses.
FRANCISZEK (CONT’D)
No — not like this — God, please!
A few men look away. Most stare, paralyzed.
Then — from the second row, a figure moves.
One calm, steady step forward.
Kolbe.
Gasps ripple through the yard.
Guards raise rifles.
Kraus turns, amused.
KRAUS
And what’s this?
Kolbe removes his cap. Meets Kraus’s eyes.
KOLBE
I wish to take his place.
A long beat.
KRAUS
You want to die?
KOLBE
He is a husband. A father.
I am a Catholic priest. I have no one.
Kraus studies him — a mixture of confusion and contempt.
KRAUS
And why would I trade a healthy
man…
for a worn-out priest?
Kolbe’s voice remains steady.
KOLBE
Because your system is built on
fear.
Let mercy be your surprise.
Kraus chuckles darkly.
He waves a hand.
KRAUS
Very well.
Remove the family man. Add the martyr.
Franciszek collapses in shock. Tears pour freely.
FRANCISZEK
No... why? Why would you—?
Kolbe turns to him, gentle.
KOLBE
Live. That’s all I ask.
Guards seize Kolbe roughly. He doesn’t resist.
The ten men — now including Kolbe — are pulled into
formation.
One begins sobbing.
Another wets himself.
Kolbe begins to hum.
A simple, soft Ave Maria.
The sound spreads — trembling lips, cracked voices.
The hum becomes a prayer.
Kraus turns away, unsettled.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
25 -
Despair and Hope in Darkness
EXT. YARD – LATER
The ten men are marched slowly across the compound.
Kolbe glances up — a single beam of sunlight cuts through the
gray clouds.
He closes his eyes briefly.
INT. STARVATION CELL – BLOCK 11 – MOMENTS LATER
A concrete room. No light. No windows. Just a steel door
slamming shut.
Kolbe kneels. Beside him, the others drop one by one —
sobbing, praying, screaming.
He whispers calmly:
KOLBE
We are not alone.
FADE OUT.
INT. STARVATION CELL – DAY ONE
The steel door slams. The air is already heavy.
TEN MEN sit spaced apart. Eyes wide. Breaths shallow.
Kolbe is in the center. Calm. Still.
A man, MICHAL (40s), pounds the wall.
MICHAL
They can’t just let us rot!
We’re human beings!
No response. No guards. No food. No water.
INT. STARVATION CELL – NIGHT ONE
Whispers in Latin. Kolbe leads a prayer.
Some follow. Others stare at the wall.
A man in the corner, GABRIEL (20s), rocks slowly.
INT. GUARD POST – OUTSIDE CELL – SAME
Two guards listen through the hatch.
GUARD
They're... singing?
The older one shrugs.
OLDER GUARD
Let 'em. Their tongues will dry
soon enough.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
26 -
Hope Amidst Despair
INT. STARVATION CELL – DAY TWO
MICHAL collapses. Kolbe crawls to him.
Soaks a rag in moisture from the wall. Places it to his lips.
MICHAL
It hurts...
KOLBE
Then let me help carry it.
INT. STARVATION CELL – NIGHT TWO
Screaming.
A man convulses. Another claws at the door.
Gabriel sobs.
Kolbe holds him, arms wrapped around his back like a father.
INT. STARVATION CELL – DAY THREE
The first man has died. Covered with a shirt.
Kolbe whispers a prayer over the body.
Only nine remain.
INT. BLOCK 14 – NIGHT THREE
Commandant Kraus walks the corridor with a doctor.
KRAUS
And the priest?
DOCTOR
Still conscious. Still leading
prayers.
Kraus says nothing. Walks on.
INT. STARVATION CELL – DAY FOUR
GABRIEL claws at the wall. Laughing now.
GABRIEL
This is God’s joke! That’s what it
is!
Kolbe doesn’t flinch.
He kneels by the crucifix etched into the wall.
KOLBE
You are loved. Even here.
INT. STARVATION CELL – NIGHT FIVE
Another man dead.
Kolbe helps place the body respectfully in the corner.
Gabriel is fading. Michal leans on Kolbe’s shoulder.
INT. STARVATION CELL – DAY SIX
Only six remain.
Kolbe speaks to each by name.
Tells them stories of heaven. Of their mothers. Of saints.
He smiles through tears.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
27 -
Final Hymn in the Darkness
INT. BARRACKS – SAME NIGHT
Franciszek lies awake. Listening.
He presses a hand to the floor.
FRANCISZEK
(whispers)
Let him hold on.
INT. STARVATION CELL – DAY SEVEN
Gabriel dies in Kolbe’s arms. Peacefully this time.
Kolbe kisses his forehead.
Only four remain now.
INT. GUARD STATION – THAT NIGHT
A young guard removes his cap.
YOUNG GUARD
It’s quiet in there... like a
chapel.
The older guard nods — shaken.
INT. STARVATION CELL – NIGHT EIGHT
Kolbe, weaker now, leads a final hymn.
Three men hum with him.
A faint beam of moonlight hits the wall.
He touches the crucifix again.
INT. BLOCK 14 – GUARD OFFICE – DAY NINE
Kraus signs the execution order.
KRAUS
Enough.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
28 -
A Hymn in the Darkness
INT. STARVATION CELL – FINAL DAY
Only Kolbe remains.
Sitting upright. Silent.
When the doctor enters, Kolbe turns to him.
No fear.
Just mercy in his eyes.
The doctor injects carbolic acid into his arm.
Kolbe closes his eyes.
KOLBE
Ave Maria… gratia plena…
FADE OUT.
INT. STARVATION CELL – BLOCK 11 –
Dark. Damp. The walls sweat.
Ten men sit in silence, backs against cold stone. No food. No
water. No light except the slit under the door.
Kolbe hums quietly — a soft Latin hymn.
One prisoner — GABRIEL (20s) — bangs on the wall.
GABRIEL
They're not feeding us? Not at all?
No one answers.
INT. STARVATION CELL – DAY TWO
Whispers. Moaning.
MICHAL, an older man, clutches his chest.
Kolbe crawls to his side, dabs his lips with a damp scrap of
cloth.
MICHAL
You’re wasting your strength.
KOLBE
Then I’ll waste it on you.
INT. GUARD ROOM – SAME TIME
GUARDS listen at the door, waiting for panic, madness.
Instead... chanting.
Soft. Unified.
One guard shifts uncomfortably.
INT. STARVATION CELL – NIGHT THREE
The men are too weak to stand.
Kolbe kneels in the center. Praying aloud.
KOLBE
Lord, carry their pain.
Let them not feel the cold. Let them remember love.
Gabriel weeps softly in the corner.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
29 -
Faith Amidst Despair
INT. STARVATION CELL – DAY FIVE
One man has died.
The body lies still in the corner, covered by a shirt.
Kolbe leads prayer over him. Michal’s voice cracks with
grief.
MICHAL
What if He doesn’t hear us?
Kolbe doesn’t flinch.
KOLBE
Then we speak louder.
INT. COMMANDANT’S OFFICE – NIGHT
KRAUS reviews reports. Taps a pencil.
ADJUTANT
They sing.
KRAUS
Let them.
It won’t save them.
INT. STARVATION CELL – DAY SEVEN
Only five remain.
Franciszek’s name is etched into the wall by one — before
collapsing.
Kolbe places a hand on his shoulder.
Kolbe’s flesh is paper-thin, his eyes still bright.
INT. STARVATION CELL – NIGHT EIGHT
Kolbe whispers alone. Barely audible.
KOLBE
For Stefan… for the child I left.
He touches the wall. Traces a cross with one finger.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
30 -
The Weight of Sacrifice
INT. GUARD ROOM – DAY NINE
A doctor stands beside Kraus.
DOCTOR
They’ll last another day, maybe
two.
Except the priest.
KRAUS
Of course.
Give him the injection.
INT. STARVATION CELL – FINAL DAY
Kolbe is the last man alive.
He sits upright, hands folded in his lap.
The door creaks open. The doctor enters.
Kolbe doesn’t move.
Just raises his eyes.
INT. CELL – MOMENTS LATER
Kolbe lies still.
Peaceful.
The doctor wipes the needle. Stares at him.
Silence.
FADE OUT.
INT. BARRACKS – NIGHT
Franciszek lies awake. Surrounded by other prisoners, yet
utterly alone.
He clutches a piece of fabric from Kolbe’s habit — now
frayed.
Whispers drift around him:
PRISONER 1 (O.S.)
He should’ve refused.
PRISONER 2 (O.S.)
No one’s worth dying for in this
place.
Franciszek curls tighter. Shakes.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
31 -
A Glimmer of Hope
INT. SHOWERS – NEXT DAY
Franciszek stands under a freezing spout.
Water pours — but he doesn't move.
A tattooed number bleeds slightly down his forearm.
His lips move. Silently.
FRANCISZEK
Why me? Why me?
INT. MEDICAL ROOM – SAME DAY
Dr. KUHN, the same doctor who injected Kolbe, stares at his
own trembling hand.
He drinks from a hidden flask.
GUARD (O.S.)
The priest say anything?
Kuhn wipes his mouth.
DR. KUHN
He forgave me.
INT. CELL BLOCK 11 – NIGHT
A new group of prisoners is marched past the starvation cell.
One glances inside.
A faint humming can be heard. A hymn. Kolbe’s.
INT. GUARD POST – SAME NIGHT
GUARD EBERHARDT, once cruel, now sits shaking.
He watches the cell from a slit in the wall.
EBERHARDT
They're dead.
Why do I still hear him?
INT. PRISONER BARRACKS – NIGHT TWO
Franciszek wakes screaming.
Kolbe stands in a dream — radiant, eyes full of light.
KOLBE (V.O.)
Live well.
Live for the ones we could not save.
Franciszek sobs, collapsing to his knees.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
32 -
Reflections of Sacrifice
EXT. CREMATORIUM YARD – DAWN
Franciszek walks near the crematorium, ashen-faced.
He approaches the edge of the pit...
Looks down…
Steps forward…
Then stops.
A shaft of sunlight hits the ground.
He backs away.
INT. COMMANDANT'S OFFICE – DAY
Kraus is gone. A new officer reads reports.
Among them: “Unrest among guards. Whispered tales of ‘the
saint.’”
He crumples it.
NEW OFFICER
Witchcraft nonsense.
INT. BARRACKS – LATE NIGHT
Franciszek wakes again. Sits up.
He begins to write, on scraps of paper:
“His name was Maximilian Kolbe. He died… for me.”
INT. BLOCK 11 – DAYS LATER
A new inmate is placed in Kolbe’s old starvation cell.
He looks to the wall.
A faint glowing crucifix — etched by Kolbe — shimmers.
He touches it. Breathes deeply.
FADE OUT
INT. BARRACKS – EARLY MORNING
Franciszek sits at the edge of his bunk.
Eyes red. Hollow.
He hasn’t eaten in days. Food sits untouched.
He watches rats crawl between bunks — and doesn't flinch.
A fellow prisoner, PIOTR (60s), leans close.
PIOTR
The priest... did he say anything?
Franciszek doesn’t answer. Then:
FRANCISZEK
He said... to forgive.
Piotr scoffs and walks off.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
33 -
Echoes of Hope
INT. PRISON INFIRMARY – LATER THAT DAY
Dr. Kuhn injects a prisoner. His hands shake.
Behind him, nurses whisper.
NURSE
They say he sings... even now.
Dr. Kuhn slams the door.
He grabs a cloth and wipes sweat from his neck.
He looks to the medicine cabinet… Then locks it.
INT. STARVATION CELL – FLASHBACK – NIGHT (DREAM)
Kolbe sits in silence.
One by one, ghostly forms of the prisoners appear beside him.
They all hum.
Their lips are cracked and bleeding — but they sing.
Kolbe lifts his eyes — light breaks from a crack in the wall.
He smiles.
INT. BARRACKS – NIGHT
Franciszek wakes with a gasp.
He looks around. No one else stirred.
He whispers:
FRANCISZEK
I saw him.
INT. GUARD SHACK – NIGHT
Eberhardt scribbles in a journal.
Each page is filled with erratic, desperate phrases:
“He forgave me.” “He sang.” “He looked at me — like I was
worth saving.”
He rips the page, then slams his head into the desk.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
34 -
A Glimmer of Hope
INT. CHAPEL RUINS – SECRET AREA – SAME NIGHT
A small group of prisoners kneel.
A hidden crucifix, made of tin scraps and wire, rests on a
crate.
An elderly man speaks.
OLD MAN
There are saints... and there are
martyrs.
But this man... he made a prison into a sanctuary.
They bow their heads.
INT. BARRACKS – NEXT DAY
Franciszek is pulled into a work detail.
He stumbles. Drops a crate.
A guard lifts his baton—
—and freezes.
Eberhardt stares at Franciszek. Something stops him.
He lowers the baton.
Walks away.
EXT. YARD – SUNSET
Franciszek drags a bucket toward a latrine.
A cross made of twigs is tied to the fence.
He freezes.
Looks around.
No one else sees it.
He removes it — hides it in his coat.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
35 -
A Vision of Light in Darkness
INT. STARVATION CELL – NIGHT (DREAM OR VISION)
Kolbe again.
This time, in white robes. Peaceful. Glowing.
He walks toward Franciszek.
KOLBE
You’ve carried enough guilt.
Franciszek weeps.
FRANCISZEK
I would’ve taken your place.
Kolbe places a hand on his shoulder.
KOLBE
That was never your burden.
Now — carry the light.
INT. BARRACKS – NEXT MORNING
Franciszek wakes — renewed.
He rises. Walks with purpose. Eyes forward.
INT. BUNKHOUSE LATRINE – LATER
Franciszek kneels, scrubbing the floor.
Another prisoner mutters:
PRISONER
He’s cracked.
But another whispers:
PRISONER 2
No... he’s blessed.
FADE OUT
INT. BARRACKS – NIGHT
Franciszek walks the narrow corridor between bunks.
A prisoner spits at his feet.
PRISONER (COLD)
You walk. He rots.
Franciszek doesn’t respond. He keeps moving. But his chest
tightens.
From behind:
VOICE (O.S.)
Better a priest than a father.
Right?
He hurries to his bunk. Clutches Kolbe’s frayed robe.
INT. GUARD ROOM – NIGHT
Eberhardt stares at himself in a broken shard of mirror.
He mutters, eyes wild.
EBERHARDT
They sang...
I heard them sing while they starved.
He punches the mirror. Blood smears across the wall.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
36 -
Crowns of Hope
EXT. POLISH COUNTRYSIDE – FLASHBACK – DAY
A young boy (Kolbe, 12) runs through a golden field. Wind
whips his hair.
He stops short — a bright light rises behind a hill.
A figure — the Virgin Mary, radiant — stands before him.
She holds two crowns.
MARY (V.O.)
One white... for purity.
One red... for martyrdom.
Kolbe kneels, trembling.
MARY
Which do you choose?
The boy reaches for both.
KOLBE (YOUNG)
Both... if You’ll let me.
She smiles.
INT. BARRACKS – PRESENT – NIGHT
Franciszek jolts awake, tears on his face.
INT. CHAPEL RUINS – NEXT NIGHT
A dozen prisoners huddle inside. A rusted crucifix leans
against the wall.
Franciszek stands at the front, unsure.
He opens his mouth — nothing comes.
Then finally:
FRANCISZEK
Blessed are the persecuted...
One by one, the others join.
ALL
...for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven.
A spark ignites in his eyes.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
37 -
Whispers of Despair
INT. CAMP COURTYARD – MORNING
Franciszek walks with purpose.
A guard passes him — doesn’t look twice.
He kneels near a broken fencepost.
Pulls a twig cross from his pocket.
Plants it in the soil.
Stands.
Walks on.
INT. INFIRMARY – NIGHT
DR. KUHN drinks from a brown glass vial. His hand trembles.
Behind him, a corpse covered in a sheet.
He stares at the foot — a visible number tattoo.
DR. KUHN
He forgave me.
He pulls open a drawer filled with empty syringes. A photo of
his wife and daughter is taped inside.
He slams it shut.
INT. BARRACKS – SAME NIGHT
Franciszek lies awake.
Whispers drift through the dark:
PRISONER (O.S.)
He prays now. Thinks he’s holy.
PRISONER 2 (O.S.)
He’s marked. The devil won’t even
take him.
Franciszek closes his eyes, curling tighter.
A tear slides into his ear.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
38 -
Visions of Sacrifice
INT. BLOCK 11 – STARVATION CELL – VISION (DREAM)
Kolbe, emaciated but radiant, kneels among the skeletal
bodies.
He hums a hymn — one the viewer now recognizes.
He turns.
Franciszek stands outside the bars, watching.
KOLBE
They died with peace.
FRANCISZEK
I still feel... unworthy.
Kolbe nods slowly.
KOLBE
Then live in their place.
The bars vanish.
EXT. CAMP PERIMETER – PRE-DAWN
Franciszek scrubs latrine buckets near the frost-covered
fence.
A guard tower searchlight swings past him — but doesn't stop.
He glances at the tower…
No guard inside.
INT. GUARD BARRACKS – SAME TIME
Eberhardt sleeps in uniform — twitching.
He bolts awake, sweating.
On his desk:
A rotted apple
A page torn from the Bible
A drawing of Kolbe’s face, childlike and angelic
He backs away like it’s burning.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical","Spiritual"]
Ratings
Scene
39 -
Hope Amidst Despair
INT. PRISONER LATRINE – MORNING
Franciszek kneels, scrubbing blood from a wall.
Something etches through the grime as he cleans:
A faint crucifix.
He stares, breathes heavy.
INT. BARRACKS – LATER THAT NIGHT
PIOTR, the older prisoner from earlier, pulls Franciszek
aside.
PIOTR
They say the Red Army is close.
FRANCISZEK
I heard the same. Maybe tomorrow.
PIOTR
Then let tomorrow find us clean.
Franciszek stares — unsure if it's hope or madness.
INT. CHAPEL RUINS – LATER
Another prayer circle. This time larger. More prisoners
kneel.
Franciszek begins to read from a crumpled scrap.
FRANCISZEK
Though I walk through the valley...
The others join in:
ALL
...I will fear no evil.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
40 -
Whispers of Hope
EXT. CAMP YARD – DUSK
Franciszek helps a limping prisoner carry a shovel back
toward the tool shed.
They pass a row of barbed wire — small twig crosses have been
tucked discreetly into the posts.
Franciszek glances up — no guards on the tower.
Only an abandoned searchlight swaying in the wind.
INT. GUARD BARRACKS – SAME TIME
Eberhardt digs through his footlocker.
Pulls out his old military coat.
Something falls out — a medal.
He stares at it... then throws it into the stove.
The fire roars.
INT. BARRACKS – NIGHT
Rain drums against the tin roof.
Franciszek lies awake, eyes wide.
Suddenly — he hears the singing again. Soft. Ghostly.
He sits up. The others remain asleep.
He steps into the corridor—
INT. BLOCK 11 – STARVATION CELL – DREAM SEQUENCE
Kolbe stands surrounded by shadows of men — faces blurred,
glowing faintly.
He motions to Franciszek.
KOLBE
Not all martyrs die once.
Franciszek steps forward, trembling.
KOLBE (CONT’D)
Your pain is not punishment.
It is passage.
Franciszek falls to his knees.
The shadows reach out — not to harm, but to lift.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
41 -
Hope Amidst Oppression
EXT. PRISON COURTYARD – NEXT DAY
A small procession of prisoners walk quietly.
One carries a makeshift wooden cross.
Guards watch but don’t interfere.
A dog barks in the distance — but no boots follow.
The grip of tyranny... loosening.
INT. GUARD HEADQUARTERS – DAY
SS COMMANDANT GOTTSCHE stares at a radio.
Crackling Russian voices filter through the static.
RADIO OPERATOR
Front line broken.
Repeat — Soviet advance confirmed.
Gottsche wipes his face.
GOTSCHE
Burn the files. All of them.
EXT. FIRE PIT – LATER
Stacks of papers, ledgers, photographs go up in flames.
Among them — inmate files, medical logs.
Franciszek watches from a window.
INT. BARRACKS – NIGHT
PIOTR leans close to Franciszek.
PIOTR
If they run... they’ll kill us
first.
No witnesses.
Franciszek nods.
But doesn’t break.
FRANCISZEK
Then we die standing.
INT. STARVATION CELL – FINAL VISION
Kolbe, serene, illuminated.
Behind him, the twelve other men now sit upright — alive in
vision only.
Kolbe speaks to the audience — almost as a priest would.
KOLBE
We were not forgotten.
We were sanctified.
The walls begin to dissolve.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
42 -
A Glimmer of Hope
EXT. CAMP GATES – MORNING
In the distance — the low rumble of tanks.
A young boy prisoner runs forward.
BOY
They’re coming! The Russians!
INT. BARRACKS – EARLY MORNING
Franciszek sits against the wall, arms wrapped around his
knees.
A distant thud rolls through the ground — like thunder.
Outside, a sharp whistle.
He gets up.
EXT. COURTYARD – MOMENTS LATER
A few prisoners gather near the gate. More join. Silent.
Watching.
On the horizon — a column of smoke rises.
No guards in sight.
The watchtowers are empty.
A murmur ripples through the yard.
PRISONER
They’re gone.
INT. ADMINISTRATION OFFICE – SAME TIME
Papers still smolder on the floor. Drawers lie open, files
scattered.
A single SS cap sits on the desk.
Deserted.
EXT. CAMP ROAD – DAY
Franciszek walks slowly, cautiously.
Past the medical block. Past the execution wall.
He stops.
The starvation cell block.
He places a hand on the cold bricks.
Closes his eyes.
Kolbe’s final hymn drifts in — faint, ghostly.
INT. BLOCK 11 – STARVATION CELL – FLASH VISION
Kolbe sits with the others.
He looks up — eyes glowing with peace.
KOLBE
You walked through the fire.
He smiles.
KOLBE (CONT’D)
Now carry the light.
INT. BLOCK 11 – STARVATION CELL – NIGHT
Kolbe blinks slowly — tears in the corners of his eyes.
Another prisoner, half-conscious, watches him.
Kolbe reaches out — touches the man’s shoulder gently.
KOLBE
Love… always.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
43 -
A Legacy of Love
FLASHBACK: EXT. NAGASAKI HILLSIDE – JAPAN – 1931 – DAY
A lush, mountainous village on the outskirts of the city.
Trees sway in the breeze. Kolbe, thinner, weary but radiant,
walks alongside a local Japanese novice, KENJI (17), toward a
rising hill.
Kolbe shields his eyes from the sun.
KENJI
You still look pale, Father.
The doctor said—
KOLBE
We have no time for weakness,
Kenji.
These children… they need us.
They crest the hill. Below them: the partially built friary —
a wooden cross stands amid the rubble of post-earthquake
damage.
Kolbe’s eyes soften at the sight.
INT. MAKESHIFT ORPHANAGE – LATER
Kolbe kneels beside a sick Japanese child. He gives him
medicine, then wraps him in a blanket.
Other friars serve rice to hungry orphans. The walls are
cracked. Wind leaks through. But laughter is heard.
Kenji watches Kolbe move from cot to cot — blessing each
child.
KENJI (V.O.)
They said he came to convert us.
But really… he came to love us.
EXT. FRARY COURTYARD – NIGHT
Kolbe prays under moonlight.
He opens his journal. Draws a small white and red crown.
Then… he coughs violently. Wipes blood from his sleeve,
quickly hiding it.
INT. CHAPEL – NEXT MORNING
Kolbe preaches in halting but fluent Japanese.
KOLBE
Love… does not demand.
It gives. Always.
Even to the point of… death.
He glances toward Kenji. Their eyes lock. A silent
understanding.
EXT. HILLSIDE – SUNSET
Kenji and Kolbe sit overlooking the harbor.
KENJI
Why here, Father? Why Nagasaki?
Kolbe gazes out.
KOLBE
Because the world must know…
love can rise where everything else falls.
He closes his eyes, whispering a prayer.
SUPER: “Nagasaki, 1931 – Ten Years Before the Bomb”
INT. MODERN SHRINE – NAGASAKI – PRESENT DAY
Kenji — now elderly, dressed in formal robes — places flowers
beside Kolbe’s bust in a quiet shrine.
OLD KENJI
You saved us long before the world
ended.
He presses a rosary to the statue’s hand and bows.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Historical Drama","Biographical"]
Ratings
Scene
44 -
A Moment of Compassion Amidst Despair
EXT. GATEHOUSE – MIDDAY
The main camp gates creak open.
A small Russian reconnaissance team enters, weapons drawn.
They stop — stunned by what they see.
Gaunt faces. Shaved heads. Hollow eyes.
Franciszek stands at the front.
No words spoken.
Just a long, breathless silence.
Then...
A young Russian soldier lowers his weapon.
Steps forward. Offers a piece of bread.
Franciszek does not reach for it.
He raises his eyes to the sky.
It’s the first time we’ve seen him smile.
EXT. CAMP – LATER
The Red Army floods the area.
Prisoners are herded gently toward trucks and tents.
Franciszek walks against the current, back toward the
barracks.
He enters.
INT. BARRACKS – MOMENTS LATER
He kneels by a wooden bunk.
Lifts a hidden scrap of parchment tucked behind a beam.
It’s Kolbe’s tiny drawing of the two crowns — white and red —
sketched in charcoal.
Franciszek folds it.
Places it inside his shirt.
EXT. CAMP GATES – DAY
Red Army medics help prisoners toward trucks.
A soldier offers a blanket to Franciszek.
He refuses. Not out of pride — but stillness.
He watches two other prisoners lift a body onto a stretcher.
It’s Piotr — lifeless, but eyes wide open, frozen in death.
Franciszek steps forward, closes Piotr’s eyes with trembling
fingers.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
45 -
A Bittersweet Reunion
INT. TEMPORARY RED CROSS TENT – NIGHT
Dozens of bunks. Moaning. Shivering.
Franciszek sits on a cot, eyes vacant.
A NURSE, Soviet, speaks softly.
NURSE (GENTLE)
Name?
He stares at her.
NURSE (CONT’D)
Name?
He whispers:
FRANCISZEK
Franciszek Gajowniczek.
She writes it down.
NURSE
Family?
Beat.
FRANCISZEK
Wife.
Two sons. I think...
Tears spill silently. She places a hand on his arm.
EXT. TRAIN PLATFORM – WEEKS LATER
Refugees and survivors flood a Polish station.
Franciszek steps down from a cattle car, carrying a tin box
of personal effects.
He scans the crowd. No familiar faces.
A woman grabs a child and backs away, staring at his shaved
head, sunken cheeks.
INT. SMALL POLISH HOME – DAY
A knock at the door.
His wife, HELENA, now older and thinner, opens it.
She gasps. Covers her mouth.
HELENA
Franciszek?
He nods.
His sons peek around her legs — confused.
Franciszek drops to his knees and weeps into her hands.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
46 -
The Weight of Sacrifice
INT. CHURCH CONFESSIONAL – MONTHS LATER
Franciszek kneels inside the booth.
No priest visible. Just his whisper into the screen:
FRANCISZEK
I should have died.
I still see him. Hear him. Sometimes I... envy him.
A long silence.
Then, a voice — gentle and male — but unseen.
PRIEST (O.S.)
And yet you live.
INT. WAR TRIBUNAL – YEARS LATER – DAY
Franciszek sits in a crowded hearing room in Warsaw.
Flashbulbs pop. Translators whisper. A plaque before him
reads: Witness: Franciszek Gajowniczek
He clears his throat.
FRANCISZEK
He asked to die in my place.
Not for glory. Not for history. Only for love.
Gasps. Scribbling. Silence.
FRANCISZEK (CONT’D)
And I carry that... every day.
He lowers his head.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
47 -
Legacy of Light
INT. VATICAN BASILICA – YEARS LATER – DAY
Sunlight streams through stained glass.
A young seminarian sets a framed image of Kolbe beside a row
of candles.
We see it’s part of a small exhibit labeled: "Servant of God
– Maximilian Kolbe."
Tourists pass by.
One stops. It’s a young man in military fatigues.
He lights a candle.
Walks away without a word.
EXT. CEMETERY – WINTER – DAY
Franciszek walks a snow-dusted path, older now.
He stops before a simple headstone marked with:
Maximilian Kolbe Greater love hath no man...
He kneels, brushing snow away from the base.
A small, wooden crown of thorns sits beside the grave —
handmade, woven from twine.
He touches it gently.
INT. FRANCISZEK'S MODEST HOME – NIGHT
A fire crackles in the hearth.
Old letters and clippings spill across a table.
His wife HELENA brings him tea, sets it beside a worn folder
marked: “Canonization Proceedings.”
She touches his shoulder.
HELENA
They want you in Rome next spring.
Franciszek nods — unsure if it’s pride or pain that fills
him.
INT. TRAIN TO ROME – MONTAGE
A Polish countryside rolls past.
Franciszek folds Kolbe’s sketch of the two crowns into a
breast pocket.
He grips a rosary in his hand, the beads worn smooth.
EXT. ST. PETER'S SQUARE – ROME – DAY
Massive crowds.
Banners wave: “Maximilian Kolbe – Martyr of Charity”
Pope John Paul II, in full regalia, stands at the altar.
The Vatican choir begins to sing.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
48 -
Legacy of Sacrifice
INT. CANONIZATION CEREMONY – ST. PETER’S BASILICA – LATER
Franciszek sits near the front, honored guest.
Camera bulbs flash. Reporters whisper.
The POPE raises his voice:
POPE JOHN PAUL II
By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ... ...we declare
Maximilian Kolbe a saint of the Church.
Thunderous applause. People weep openly.
Franciszek bows his head — hands trembling.
EXT. BASILICA COURTYARD – MOMENTS LATER
Franciszek steps into the light, crowd swirling.
A young man — early 20s, Polish — pushes forward, extending a
medal of Kolbe.
YOUNG MAN
You were the man he saved?
Franciszek nods.
The young man clasps his hand tightly.
YOUNG MAN (CONT’D)
Then he saved us all.
INT. FRANCISZEK’S ROOM – YEARS LATER
The folder sits on a shelf, untouched.
The two crowns sketch now framed, hanging above his bed.
He lies beneath it — frail, near death.
A nurse reads aloud from a letter:
NURSE
“They buried Father Kolbe’s ashes
here in Niepokalanów. The shrine
draws pilgrims from all over the
world…”
She looks up. Franciszek is smiling.
INT. POLISH SCHOOLROOM – DAY (LATE 1970S)
A TEACHER addresses a class of children. On the chalkboard:
“Saints of the 20th Century”
A slide clicks — an old black-and-white photo of Kolbe fills
the screen.
TEACHER
This is Saint Maximilian Kolbe.
He gave his life so another could live.
The students are silent.
One boy raises his hand.
BOY
Is the man he saved still alive?
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
49 -
Legacy of Kolbe
EXT. CHURCH COURTYARD – SAME DAY
Franciszek, older and gray, sits beneath a statue of Kolbe.
The same boy approaches, shyly.
BOY
Are you him?
Franciszek smiles.
FRANCISZEK
Only what’s left of him.
The boy offers a handmade crown of red paper.
Franciszek holds it, eyes misting.
INT. FRANCISZEK'S BEDROOM – NIGHT
He opens a worn scrapbook.
Inside:
Photos of Kolbe’s friary
Canonization articles
A sketch of barbed wire turning into a rosary
He traces Kolbe’s name with his fingertip.
INT. CHURCH CONFESSIONAL – FLASHBACK (YEARS EARLIER)
Kolbe sits on one side of the screen, young and serene.
Franciszek is unseen — just his whispered words.
FRANCISZEK (V.O.)
I carried your life inside me…
and I’m still afraid I’ll drop it.
Kolbe smiles faintly.
KOLBE
You haven’t dropped it.
You’ve passed it on.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
50 -
A Moment of Peace
EXT. VATICAN – NIGHT (1980S)
Pilgrims light candles beneath a Kolbe mosaic.
A teenage girl kneels, praying. Behind her, her father
watches — reverent, silent.
We catch a glimpse of a Kolbe medallion around her neck.
INT. FRANCISZEK'S HOME – LATE NIGHT
Franciszek struggles to write a letter.
His hand trembles. Words are smudged.
He finally scrawls:
“He showed me how to die. I tried to learn how to live.”
He folds it, seals it, and places it inside a Bible beside
his bed.
INT. HOSPICE ROOM – FINAL DAYS
Nurses whisper in the background.
Franciszek lies peacefully. His breathing is shallow.
A rosary rests in his hand.
In the window, the moonlight shines softly through a frosted
pane.
A shape in shadow — a man in robes — seems to stand just
outside.
Franciszek blinks. Smiles.
INT. HOSPICE ROOM – NIGHT
Franciszek’s breath rattles faintly in the silence.
Beside him, the framed sketch of the two crowns hangs like a
holy relic.
Outside, snow falls softly.
INT. HOSPICE ROOM – LATER
Helena sits at his bedside, holding his hand.
HELENA You carried it longer than anyone ever should have.
Franciszek stirs. Barely a whisper:
FRANCISZEK
I was only…
borrowed time.
She kisses his hand.
INT. HOSPICE ROOM – DEEP NIGHT
Lights dim. Nurses move silently outside.
Inside, only the sound of wind beyond the window.
Franciszek’s eyes flutter open — not in fear, but peace.
A faint light glows in the corner.
He sees...
KOLBE — in his white robes, standing silently in the shadows.
No words.
Just a long, still gaze.
Kolbe raises one hand — open palm.
Franciszek lifts his weak hand... and clasps it.
The light grows bright.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical","Spiritual"]
Ratings
Scene
51 -
A Legacy of Love
INT. CHURCH – FUNERAL MASS – DAY
Chanting echoes through the cathedral.
Franciszek’s casket, simple and wooden, is adorned with two
hand-carved crowns — one red, one white.
Children in altar robes carry candles behind it.
The priest intones:
PRIEST
Greater love hath no man than this…
EXT. CHURCH CEMETERY – SAME DAY
Mourners gather.
Among them: clergy, survivors, children.
A little girl breaks from the crowd, kneels at the grave.
She sets down a drawing — two crowns sketched in crayon.
INT. VATICAN ARCHIVES – MONTAGE
A relic: Kolbe’s rosary under glass.
A photo of Franciszek, later in life, labeled “He lived
because another chose to die.”
A wall of saints. One plaque reads: Maximilian Kolbe Martyr
of Charity
EXT. MODERN CITY STREET – NIGHT
Crowds rush past neon signs.
A HOMELESS MAN sits with a cardboard sign that reads:
“Love one another.”
A woman pauses. Gives him a coat.
He smiles — revealing a Kolbe medallion around his neck.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
52 -
Echoes of Sacrifice
EXT. SKY – FINAL VISION
A boy walks through a field of tall grass.
He looks up — sunlight glinting.
Two crowns float in the air, drawn in fading light:
One white, glowing with peace
One red, flickering with flame
They merge into the sky.
FADE TO BLACK.
"No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends."
– John 15:13
INT. SCHOOL AUDITORIUM – PRESENT DAY – POLAND
A young woman, early 30s, stands at a podium before rows of
students.
She clicks through slides behind her — one is Kolbe’s prison
photo, another of Franciszek and the Pope.
YOUNG WOMAN
My grandfather survived Auschwitz…
because a priest took his place. He lived to tell the world
who that man was.
She pauses.
YOUNG WOMAN (CONT’D)
And I’ve spent my life doing the
same.
The crowd is silent. Deeply moved.
EXT. AUSCHWITZ – PRESENT DAY
Tourists walk the gravel paths in silence.
A GROUP OF TEENS stands outside Block 11, the starvation
bunker.
One boy hangs back, staring at the plaque beside the wall.
He fingers a small rosary in his pocket.
Genres:
["Historical Drama","Spiritual"]
Ratings
Scene
53 -
Legacy of Love
INT. ST. MAXIMILIAN MUSEUM – NIEPOKALANÓW – DAY
Display cases house relics.
Kolbe’s glasses
A torn page of his writings
A replica of his friary cell
And in a spotlighted case: the two paper crowns drawn by a
child
A TOUR GUIDE leads a group forward.
TOUR GUIDE
This sketch was found folded in
Kolbe’s breviary.
He told others he had seen it as a child… Two crowns — one
white for purity, one red for martyrdom. He accepted both.
A pilgrim — a young seminarian — weeps quietly.
INT. VATICAN INTERIOR – ARCHIVAL ROOM – NIGHT
A lone MONSIGNOR moves through aisles of saintly artifacts.
He retrieves a thick dossier: Canonization of Kolbe, 1982
Within it: letters, testimony, photos of Franciszek and
Helena.
He whispers a prayer.
MONSIGNOR
May we never forget what love
costs.
EXT. SMALL POLISH CEMETERY – SUNSET
A simple grave marked Franciszek Gajowniczek sits beside his
wife’s.
A child kneels there, placing a drawing of two crowns and a
flower.
His mother watches from a path.
MOTHER
He saved a man who became your
great-grandfather.
The child looks up, confused.
CHILD
But they’re both gone?
She nods.
MOTHER
Not really.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
54 -
Legacy of Sacrifice
INT. CHURCH – EVENING MASS – PRESENT DAY
A large painting of Kolbe dominates the altar.
Candles flicker.
The congregation recites a litany.
Camera slowly pans upward...
EXT. HEAVENS – SUNSET VISION
Vast skies. A golden horizon.
Two crowns drift once more across the clouds — radiant and
eternal.
As they slowly fade into light...
FADE TO BLACK.
“Two paths. One love.
One sacrifice that lit the world.
INT. RADIO STUDIO – KRAKÓW – 1960s – NIGHT
Franciszek speaks into a microphone, nervous but clear.
FRANCISZEK
His name was Maximilian Kolbe.
He took my place... and gave me the rest of my life.
The producer signals "on air."
FRANCISZEK (CONT’D)
I speak not to make sense of it —
but to make sure you remember.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM – SAME TIME
Families across Poland lean toward radios.
A mother cries quietly. A priest closes his eyes. A boy
scribbles the name “Kolbe” on a notepad.
EXT. JAPAN – MONASTERY GROUNDS – DAY (FLASHBACK)
Monks in white robes tend to a garden.
One places a flower beside a statue of Kolbe.
MONK (JAPANESE, SUBTITLED)
He taught us peace can bloom… even
in rubble.
A plaque nearby:
Saint Maximilian Kolbe – Martyr and Missionary
Genres:
["Historical Drama","Biographical"]
Ratings
Scene
55 -
Legacy of Love and Sacrifice
INT. ARCHIVES – LATE NIGHT – MODERN VATICAN
A young DEACON reads a preserved letter.
“He told me the two crowns were not a dream, but an
invitation.”
He gently replaces the letter into a leather folio: ‘Sancti –
Kolbe’
EXT. AUSCHWITZ – BLOCK 11 – PRESENT DAY
A priest leads a small group of visitors in silent prayer.
One woman in the back breaks down sobbing.
The priest walks over, gives her a small medallion of Kolbe.
PRIEST
He stood in this exact spot.
When death called — he answered with love.
INT. FRANCISZEK’S STUDY – NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Franciszek looks through a stack of letters — all thanking
him for telling Kolbe’s story.
He opens one, written in a child’s handwriting:
“Thank you for helping me believe heroes are real.”
He places it into a drawer full of similar letters — hundreds
of them.
INT. CLASSROOM – UK – MODERN DAY
An English teacher shows a photo of Kolbe on a Smartboard.
TEACHER
Who knows what the word martyr
means?
A girl raises her hand.
GIRL
Someone who doesn’t just die…
but chooses to.
EXT. WARSAW STREET – EARLY EVENING
A busker plays a mournful tune on violin.
Behind him, a mural of Kolbe spans the wall — white robes,
barbed wire, two crowns hovering behind him.
People pause. Some cry.
A young boy leaves a white paper crown at the mural’s base.
INT. FRANCISZEK’S BEDROOM – BACK IN TIME
A final moment — Franciszek lying peacefully, the two-crowns
sketch pinned above his bed.
A breeze lifts the paper slightly.
Outside, church bells ring.
He breathes his last — eyes gently shut, a half-smile
remaining.
CUT TO:
EXT. GRAVEYARD – DAWN
Snow dusts the grass.
Mourners place red and white flowers beside Franciszek’s
stone.
A plaque nearby now reads:
He lived for another and carried his name to the world.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
56 -
A Tribute to Sacrifice
EXT. AUSCHWITZ – BLOCK 11 – PRESENT DAY – DAY
A TOUR GROUP walks slowly down the gravel path, hushed.
They stop outside the darkened starvation cell window.
A YOUNG TOUR GUIDE, early 30s, speaks softly — practiced but
full of emotion.
TOUR GUIDE
And this… is where he chose to die.
(pauses)
His name was Maximilian Kolbe.
A prisoner had been sentenced to starvation — he had a wife,
children. Kolbe stepped forward… and asked to take his place.
The group is stunned. Some tear up.
TOUR GUIDE (CONT’D)
They say he died with a prayer on
his lips…
and peace in his eyes.
The guide looks at the dark window.
Inside, only shadows.
INT. STARVATION CELL – CONTINUOUS
Light spills gently through the barred window.
We see the faint outline of two paper crowns — one red, one
white — placed carefully in the corner.
A symbol.
EXT. AUSCHWITZ – EXIT PATH – LATER
Visitors quietly depart.
One child stops — pulls from her pocket a folded drawing.
She runs back to the window… and tucks it between the bricks.
A crayon sketch of a man holding two crowns.
EXT. SKY ABOVE – FINAL SHOT
Clouds part as sunlight beams through.
In the light: Two glowing crowns, slowly drifting upward and
merging into a single radiant point.
FADE TO BLACK.
“He chose love over life.
And in dying… became eternal.”
Title Card:
SAINT MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
Canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1982.
Declared “Martyr of Charity.”
“Greater love hath no man…”
Genres:
["Historical Drama","Biographical"]
Ratings
Scene
57 -
A Legacy of Sacrifice
EXT. ST. PETER’S SQUARE – ROME – MORNING
A sea of thousands. Flags wave. Pilgrims fill every corner of
Vatican City.
Latin chants echo. Banners flap in the wind.
A giant portrait of Maximilian Kolbe hangs from the
colonnades — flanked by red and white flowers.
INT. VATICAN HOLDING CHAMBER – SAME
FRANCISZEK GAJOWNICZEK, now elderly, adjusts his suit in a
mirror. His wife helps him pin a cross to his lapel.
He stares at his reflection, trembling.
FRANCISZEK
He should be here, not me.
WIFE
You are here because of him.
A long beat. Franciszek nods.
EXT. PAPAL BALCONY – LATER
POPE JOHN PAUL II, dressed in immaculate white, steps to the
podium.
The crowd falls silent.
JOHN PAUL II
Today, we raise to the altar of sainthood a man who offered
his life in love — not for his own country, not for his own
people, but for a stranger.
He pauses, overcome.
JOHN PAUL II
Saint Maximilian Kolbe has shown us
the perfection of charity.
His death… was not a defeat. It was his victory.
EXT. CROWD – SAME
Franciszek looks up at Kolbe’s image. His lips move in silent
prayer.
He reaches into his coat — pulls out the old rosary that
Kolbe gave him in the camp.
Tears fill his eyes.
INT. BASILICA – LATER
Franciszek kneels beside the reliquary of Kolbe’s ashes.
FRANCISZEK
I have lived your life for you.
He lowers his forehead to the cold marble.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
58 -
Legacy of Love
EXT. ST. PETER’S SQUARE – EVENING
The crowds are leaving. A choir sings softly in Polish.
Franciszek stands alone under the banner — as it’s slowly
lowered from the balcony.
The sky begins to darken.
MONTAGE: (INTERCUT)
Nuns in Africa teaching children
about Kolbe
A shrine in Nagasaki with candles glowing
A teenager in South America holding a comic book about Kolbe
The starvation cell, lit only by a candle, now part of the
museum tour
SUPER:
“Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down
his life for his friends.â€
— John 15:13
EXT. RURAL UGANDA – DAY
Children sit cross-legged under a tree as a young nun teaches
catechism.
She opens a worn book. On the page: an illustration of Kolbe
embracing a dying man.
NUN
And he said, "I will take his
place."
The children gasp — then fall silent.
INT. SMALL APARTMENT – MEXICO CITY – NIGHT
A troubled young man stares at a revolver on his kitchen
table.
He turns on a dusty television. A black-and-white documentary
flickers to life — Kolbe’s face appears.
VOICE (TV)
He was called “the martyr of love.”
The young man listens. Slowly… he slides the gun away.
EXT. SHRINE OF THE IMMACULATE – NAGASAKI – NIGHT
Elderly Kenji (from earlier) walks past lit candles. He
kneels, bows, and leaves a paper crane.
Genres:
["Drama","Historical","Spiritual"]
Ratings
Scene
59 -
A Light in the Darkness: The Sacrifice of Maximilian Kolbe
INT. SCHOOL – POLAND – DAY
A teenage girl recites before her class:
GIRL
“Only love creates.”
— Maximilian Kolbe
The teacher nods, impressed.
EXT. STREET – BUENOS AIRES – EVENING
A peace protest winds through the city. A young priest holds
a sign:
“Maximilian Kolbe Lives in Us.”
INT. MONASTERY – ROME – NIGHT
A monk in robes bows before a relic of Kolbe’s habit, encased
in glass.
He lights a candle. The flame flickers… but does not go out.
EXT. AUSCHWITZ – PRESENT DAY – DUSK
The sun sets over Block 11.
The camera drifts slowly toward the open door… toward the
starvation cell.
We do not enter yet. We simply feel the pull.
SUPER:
“Only love creates.” — Maximilian Kolbe
INT. AUSCHWITZ - BLOCK 11 - STARVATION CELL - DAY
Dark. Damp. Silent.
The once ten prisoners are now six. Huddled in corners, gaunt
and barely recognizable.
Kolbe sits upright against the stone wall, whispering prayer.
His eyes are sunken but glow faintly with peace.
KOLBE
Ave Maria, gratia plena...
Beside him, a YOUNG PRISONER moans faintly. Another rocks
back and forth, mumbling.
KOLBE (CONT’D)
Dominus tecum...
INT. STARVATION CELL - NIGHT
Moonlight spills through the barred window.
Kolbe cradles the head of a DYING PRISONER in his lap. He
sings softly:
KOLBE (SINGING)
Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia...
The prisoner exhales one final breath. Stillness.
Kolbe crosses himself. Then slowly looks up.
KOLBE (V.O.)
You asked me to choose. And I did.
FLASHBACK TO:
Genres:
["Historical Drama","Biographical"]
Ratings
Scene
60 -
The Choice of Love
INT. MONASTERY GARDEN - SUNSET (YEARS EARLIER)
Kolbe kneels as a boy beneath the fig tree.
KOLBE (V.O.)
I chose the red crown.
BACK TO:
INT. STARVATION CELL - DAY
Only four men remain. Kolbe leans against the wall, swaying,
lips cracked.
GUARD (O.S.)
He’s still alive.
INT. AUSCHWITZ INFIRMARY - CELL - DAY (AUGUST 14, 1941)
Kolbe lies on a wooden bench. Frail, skeletal, yet strangely
serene.
The SS DOCTOR prepares the injection. A GUARD holds Kolbe’s
arm.
Kolbe nods.
KOLBE
Ave Maria...
The plunger sinks.
CLOSE ON KOLBE’S FACE — his eyes slowly shut. A final breath.
FADE TO:
INT. AUSCHWITZ - MODERN DAY - TOUR GROUP - DAY
A GUIDE stands before the starvation cell, now a candle-lit
shrine.
TOUR GUIDE
Six of the ten men died within two
weeks. Only one was still fully
conscious. His name was Maximilian
Kolbe.
Tourists listen silently. A CHILD holds his father’s hand.
TOUR GUIDE (CONT’D)
He died by lethal injection on the
eve of the Assumption of Mary —
August 14th, 1941.
TOUR GUIDE (CONT’D)
This cell is now a shrine. His
image hangs in churches across
Europe. He was beatified in 1970...
canonized in 1982.