Persona Non Grata 2015

In 1955, Nyiszli, Michał Żurawski, a Jewish man, comes to the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in search of Chiune Sugihara, Takashi Tsukamoto, the diplomat who once saved his life. An officer there bluntly tells him that there is no such diplomat called “Senbo Sugihara.” > There is no such diplomat called ‘Senbo Sugihara’. Disheartened, Nyiszli leaves the ministry, but his resolve to locate Sugihara and tell his story to the world only grows stronger, setting the stage for a decades-spanning search that blends personal history with a broader wartime legacy.

Flashback to 1934: Sugihara, who had served at the Manchuria Ministry of Foreign Affairs, engages in espionage with his Russian accomplices Irina and Maret to tilt the negotiations over the Chinese Eastern Railway rights between Manchuria and the Soviet Union. Agnieszka Grochowska plays Irina, bringing a sharp, clandestine energy to the operation. Although Sugihara’s party success is tempered by the brutal orders of a Kwantung Army superior, Kingo Minamikawa, the episode leaves him bitterly disappointed and prompts a resignation from the Manchurian Ministry before he returns to Japan to take on a broader role. The seeds of a difficult relationship with wartime diplomacy are sown, and Sugihara’s path grows far more complicated than a routine posting.

Back in Japan, Sugihara is assigned as the Japanese Ambassador to the Soviet Union and prepared to depart for Moscow. To his surprise, the Soviets list him as Persona Non Grata, blocking the Moscow appointment. This setback deepens his sense of isolation within the shifting alliances of the era, and he must navigate a complex web of loyalties and warnings as he contemplates his future as a diplomat.

Disheartened, Sugihara goes out drinking with his friend Shizuo Kikuchi, where he meets Shizuo’s younger sister Sachiko. Koyuki stands in for Sachiko in the intertwined personal and political currents that pull Sugihara in multiple directions, giving the film a humanized angle on a man whose decisions would alter countless lives.

In 1939, at the dawn of World War II, Sugihara is posted to Kaunas, Lithuania, to spy on Soviet moves. He begins intelligence work with Pesh, a Polish spy who volunteers for the task, played by Borys Szyc. The two men form a wary partnership as they sift through rapidly changing intel, trying to read the widening conflict as it swallows Eastern Europe. Their findings reveal a looming plan to carve up the region, a realization that coincides with Japan’s cautious stance as the war expands and threatens to redraw borders once more.

By 1940, the Baltic nations are occupied by the Soviets, and Jewish refugees like Nyiszli face the dangerous challenge of escaping through restricted consular channels. They eventually encounter Jan Zwartendijk, a Netherlands acting consul who agrees to issue visas to help them escape. Wenanty Nosul portrays Jan Zwartendijk, whose humanitarian action becomes a crucial lifeline, even as the refugees still seek visas from Japan to complete their escape route. The turning point arrives when Sugihara, initially forbidden from issuing visas, sees the human cost of inaction and is moved to issue as many visas as possible, ensuring that many refugees can reach safety in Japan before his own family departs Lithuania.

After leaving Lithuania, Sugihara is reassigned to Königsberg, East Prussia. He and Pesh uncover the German army’s plan to invade the Soviet Union and attempt to alert Japan through Ambassador Hiroshi Oshima in Germany, only to face dismissal of the warning and a rapid reassignment to Romania. Before departure, Sugihara issues a final warning that Japan could be defeated if it declares war on the United States, underscoring the war’s unpredictable arc and the personal cost of standing by one’s conscience.

In 1945, after Japan’s surrender, the Sugihara family finds themselves in a Soviet POW camp. Irina writes heartfelt letters thanking Sugihara for saving countless Jewish lives, and he is deeply moved, breaking down in tears as he absorbs the tangible impact of his decisions. The resilience of the refugees and the emotional toll on Sugihara’s own family are depicted with a quiet, piercing honesty.

Twenty-seven years later, in 1972, Sugihara has resigned from the Ministry and works at a Moscow merchandising company. He finally reunites with Nyiszli, their memories converging as the film highlights the long arc of his decision. The end titles reveal that Sugihara was awarded the Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel in 1985, recognizing his bravery in saving Jewish lives. Sugihara dies of heart disease on July 31, 1987, at the age of 86, and in 2000 the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs restores his honor with a ceremonial plaque, cementing his legacy in history.