Marina Colet

The movie starts out slowly giving viewers background on the town, many of it’s inhabitants, historical references and time to become familiar with the families living then and now. It’s a mystery that, perhaps, many of us can relate to. Finding old photos or home movies and wondering who many of the people smiling and laughing with loved ones are and what part they played in our family’s history. Slowly, the mystery unfolds and many questions the film’s owner has are answered. Unbelievably, survivors are found, stories shared, and viewers learn how, once again, how the the Jews of that community are evacuated from their homes, humiliated, brutalized, tortured and, in most cases, killed. It’s a clear and powerful warning to all of us living today and tomorrow: leaders who nurture division breed hatred. Hatred justifies cruelty and barbaric measures. This film reinforced something I’ve tried to ignore because it’s too frightening to admit: humans, hands down, are the cruelest members of the animal kingdom.