World War II films often depict true stories of incredible sacrifice, but it’s all the more remarkable when that selflessness is given willingly to your enemies.

The Commander, which opened the Venice Film Festival last year, depicts just that: an Italian naval commander rescuing a crew of Belgians at great risk to himself and his men.

The official synopsis reads: “The remarkable true story of Second World War submarine captain Salvatore Todaro, his vessel the Cappellini, and the unlikely…