It’s been more than 80 years, but we are still drawn to stories of horror and survival from the Holocaust. It was a dark time in the history of mankind, and one we don’t want to forget, lest we run the risk of repeating those errors.

But in the midst of that darkness, loss, and horror, there were tales of heroism. The new film The World Will Tremble is one of those tales. It tells the true story of two men courageous enough to escape horror and brave enough to let the world know what was happening in Poland in 1942.

The film picks up in an early camp where the Nazis have begun their work of dispatching Jews by the thousands daily. There, they use the strongest of the men to help dig graves, sort property, and for their own amusement. Among those trapped into service there are Solomon (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and Michael (Jeremy Neumark Jones).

Solomon and Michael are surviving—barely. Both have lost their families to this evil, are suffering physically, and are among a group dispirited, yet struggling to find a path to freedom. After their friends are killed for the whims of the soldiers and their entertainment, both hatch a plan to escape. Their hope is to bring word of what’s happening to other Jews in Poland, and the world.

The following day, they make their break. They escape the camp and find other Jews. They share their story, which becomes the first word of the Holocaust to make it to the allies.

Solomon and Michael were heroes. They were real life men who really escaped the horrors of the camp and helped share the story. They escaped the physical horror, but as the post-credit interview makes clear the horrors of their experience never left them. There’s isn’t a happy story, but it is a necessary story to hear and see.

This film divides its time between the horrors of their experience in the camp and their journey to freedom. That gives us 45-50 minutes of unspeakable acts. We can’t hide from history, nor should we. But I was interested in the story of these men and how their courage in escaping changed the world.

We only get a few pieces of that. In fact, some of the most interesting bits of the story come over the end credits. I would have liked to see that expanded and the story adjusted a bit to focus on what they achieved, despite suffering, to escape that place and that life.

Jackson-Cohen and Jones give tremendous performances. The story is important and worth seeing for that reason but the film as a whole misses a bit of an opportunity.

The World Will Tremble opens nationwide on Friday, March 14.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.