I caught this movie on a local PBS station one night as I was flipping through channels while waiting for some friends. I had to watch the rest after seeing only a little. This is a good documentary--nothing too flashy or innovative in the making--but stunning because of the material.
Maybe it struck a chord with me because of resonances and trauma in my own childhood--but I think it's more than that. Look at children's books (and books about children) and a lot addresses themes of orphanage, abandonment, loss of parents and related issues (from Roald Dahl or Charles Dickens, for example). This documentary strikes these themes head on with real stories. It's hard not to be moved by the vulnerability of children in such dire circumstances.
The stories are both heart breaking and heart warming and will make you wonder how such cruelty and evil could exist to create these events in the life of a child. On the other hand, many ordinary people rose to the occasion and did something heroic to help these vulnerable, often orphaned children of World War II.
This is a wonderful and painful film to watch because of the stories of the now grown children. I'll mention a few examples (**spoilers**), so if it's going to bother you to have a bit of a preview, don't read on.
One boy, after being placed with a family in England for 6 or 7 years during WWII, finally got the miracle of meeting his parents again after they had somehow come through the war. He no longer spoke the same language (English, not German), felt uncomfortable and awkward even meeting them again because they no longer seemed like the same people. It was a wonderful and painful reunion.
Most kindertransport children were not so lucky, waited years for their parents to find them after the war, and then discovered that the reunion would never take place. Still waiting with an empty spot in their hearts.
Some evacuee children tried bringing their parents to England before emigration from Germany was shut down by the Nazis. One girl tells of looking for the large, wealthy homes, going door to door, and begging the occupants to give her parents a job so that they would be granted visas by the British government.
Some of these children (who initially spoke little English) were treated well, adopted and loved in new families. Many were taken care of but were moved from one foster home to another, and some had horrible experiences such as being sent to families who wanted to use them as servants (uniforms and all) rather than treating them with respect or care.
I've seen a lot of different films and documentaries about Nazi Germany over the years, but I'm not particularly moved by many of them since they don't always personalize the experience. Many of these types of films just leave me numb afterward and though I appreciate and understand the horror, these films often leave me relatively unmoved and mostly just horrified.
I'd recommend watching this documentary even if you don't like the typical Nazi Germany documentary. This isn't only about a historical event, but about vulnerability, evil, heroism, desperation, grief and a kind of redemption. The themes are reflected in the personal stories of children brought to a foreign land without their parents. I doubt most people could come away from this movie feeling unmoved or unchanged by the experience in some way. In other words, see this documentary. You won't regret it.
Maybe it struck a chord with me because of resonances and trauma in my own childhood--but I think it's more than that. Look at children's books (and books about children) and a lot addresses themes of orphanage, abandonment, loss of parents and related issues (from Roald Dahl or Charles Dickens, for example). This documentary strikes these themes head on with real stories. It's hard not to be moved by the vulnerability of children in such dire circumstances.
The stories are both heart breaking and heart warming and will make you wonder how such cruelty and evil could exist to create these events in the life of a child. On the other hand, many ordinary people rose to the occasion and did something heroic to help these vulnerable, often orphaned children of World War II.
This is a wonderful and painful film to watch because of the stories of the now grown children. I'll mention a few examples (**spoilers**), so if it's going to bother you to have a bit of a preview, don't read on.
One boy, after being placed with a family in England for 6 or 7 years during WWII, finally got the miracle of meeting his parents again after they had somehow come through the war. He no longer spoke the same language (English, not German), felt uncomfortable and awkward even meeting them again because they no longer seemed like the same people. It was a wonderful and painful reunion.
Most kindertransport children were not so lucky, waited years for their parents to find them after the war, and then discovered that the reunion would never take place. Still waiting with an empty spot in their hearts.
Some evacuee children tried bringing their parents to England before emigration from Germany was shut down by the Nazis. One girl tells of looking for the large, wealthy homes, going door to door, and begging the occupants to give her parents a job so that they would be granted visas by the British government.
Some of these children (who initially spoke little English) were treated well, adopted and loved in new families. Many were taken care of but were moved from one foster home to another, and some had horrible experiences such as being sent to families who wanted to use them as servants (uniforms and all) rather than treating them with respect or care.
I've seen a lot of different films and documentaries about Nazi Germany over the years, but I'm not particularly moved by many of them since they don't always personalize the experience. Many of these types of films just leave me numb afterward and though I appreciate and understand the horror, these films often leave me relatively unmoved and mostly just horrified.
I'd recommend watching this documentary even if you don't like the typical Nazi Germany documentary. This isn't only about a historical event, but about vulnerability, evil, heroism, desperation, grief and a kind of redemption. The themes are reflected in the personal stories of children brought to a foreign land without their parents. I doubt most people could come away from this movie feeling unmoved or unchanged by the experience in some way. In other words, see this documentary. You won't regret it.