“Bless You Prison” is a remarkable and inspiring film! It tells the true story of Nicoleta Valery Grossu and her imprisonment in a communist prison from 1949 to 1953. The inhumane treatment she endured is mind boggling, but her steadfast faith in Christ carried her through as she became a beacon of light to other inmates. Maria Ploae is outstanding in her role as Nicoleta.
During a voiceover in the film Nicoleta says she never felt closer to God than when she was in prison. Despite being beaten on the feet and rear with a club, almost starving at times, enduring taunts from the guards, and many other injustices she stayed faithful. She helped others, getting into trouble once for making sure food was tossed to those in solitary. In one scene Nicoleta feigns a toothache in order to check on a friend who was taken to the infirmary. The guard pulls her tooth out without giving her anything for the pain, but she does find her friend and speaks with her. In the first prison she was in, cell 24, she scratched various Psalms on the walls. Later, at another prison, she meets a woman who was held in cell 24. The woman tells her she was comforted by the scriptures and wants to find the woman who wrote them so she can thank her. Nicoleta smiles.
Nicoleta is finally released and the film concludes with a synopsis about the rest of her life. Due to a few graphic scenes with beatings and some blood, and a woman hanging after committing suicide, we are awarding the movie our “Faith-Based” Seal. It is a powerful film and “Bless You Prison” will remind every viewer to be grateful for freedom. It serves as a reminder that God is with us in all situations.
