In my journey through Holocaust movies I’ve seen before and am now seeing again, or that I’m seeing for the first time, I found three that really landed in me as particularly unique in breaking through myths of the Holocaust.
Defiance, the true story of the Jewish Bielski brothers of Belarus who ended up hiding hundreds of Jews in the forests from the Nazis for years. By the time the war ended, the group in hiding grew to over 1,200 who has established their own client, school and businesses. The film is riveting in showing how the Bielskis were drawn into the situation and how the community grew.
I also recommend is Fateless, the story of a Hungarian Jewish boy, just 14 when he was taken to the camps, and his journey through death back to at least some kind of life again, although one of startlingly clear sight. This film captures the ambiguity of the situation, even showing some of the odd
moments of tiny joy. I’ve heard that the book the movie is based upon is even better, and I hope to read it soon. (Odd trivia: Daniel Craig, a la James Bond, is in both Defiance and Fateless, playing a Jewish fighter in each.)
Finally, having seen The Pianist twice in the last year and several times before that, I’m still struck by how much this movie mirrors all the research I’ve been doing on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Warsaw Uprising and the almost complete destruction of Warsaw by the German army. Of course, Adrien Brody’s performance is also spectacular and truly Oscar worthy.