After watching Defiance a few weeks ago, I promised myself I would not watch Holocaust related movies for a while. But alas, I was feeling sorry for myself today because I was feeling the effects of my fall and I found Autumn Hearts: A New Beginning. The cast looked incredible: Susan Sarandon, Gabriel Byrne, Christopher Plummer and Max von Sydow. So I made myself some dinner and watched.
It was not a graphic film. There was a great deal that was unsaid. If you are not close to this terrible time in history, you may even find it "slow." But I found it melancholy and beautiful. The story of three survivors and the man who saved the lives of two children who are now adults. There is also the son who never knew what his mother went through and a very angry husband. It is a heartbreaking movie of what really happened at the Drancy deportation camp in Paris.
To be honest, this is not a great film. But it was the story that spoke to me. So much in our lives stays unspoken. There is so much hurt and despair. Some people have their lives in the hands of others, while others have the freedom of choice and do not know what to do with that luxury.
I realized recently that my history,as well as my family's history, defines me. My first memory in life is war. It is the reality I was born into. It's hard to explain to the people around me. And I don't have many around me right now with a similar history. Living in Jerusalem for five years in my 20s also shaped me.
Any film that delves into human survival often touches me. I had nightmares after watching Defiance. It was a tale of struggle and survival. I cannot count the number of books and films I've had enter my life on this topic. Also, spending part of my teenage life involved with a play on the trials after the Majdanek concentration camps had a strong influence on me. Majdanek was unusual in that it was located near a major city, not hidden away at a remote rural location and people had to know what was happening. The trials were heartbreaking to as the survivors were asked ridiculous questions as a way to test their "memory" of the horrors they endured.
In my Netflix queue, I have a movie called Holocaust: The Liberation of Majdanek. But I keep moving it to the bottom of my rental list. I think I know the story oh so well.
And, I did promise myself to watch more comedies so I can have a lighter spirit and laugh more.
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