Hitler's Children (2011)

Hitler's Children provides a canvas for about a dozen children and grandchildren of Nazi death camp architects and commanders (Goering, Goeth, Himmler, and Hoesse) to speak about how they discovered the truth of what their parents and grandparents really knew and did outside the garden courtyards of their idyllic homes -- and how what became their lifelong vocation (to ask the hard questions or even write a book) impacted their relationships with those family members who would not acknowledge the truth. Minor anecdotes such as "Grandmother always told us to wash the strawberries first, because of the ashes" generally evolve into full-fledged Holocaust denial, for those who oppose the evidence brought against their long-ago convicted and executed forefathers. This is a morally textured documentary that is portrayed simply and plainly; we see the face of each relative, viewed up close and intimately, as they speak and reflect on the effects and responsibilities of being related to fathers who have done evil and mothers who condoned it. Some descendants hide from such a legacy, while those who became authors wrestled with it (and, most would say, conquered it). Holocaust survivors and descendants also reach out with understanding and forgiveness. If this film affects you as it does me, it should lead you to reflect about courage, compassion, and some of the deepest questions about our humanity (esp. the anti-immigrant sentiment that one author says is at risk of leading us to a recurrence of such persecutions). The documentary is 95% in German, 4% in Hebrew, and 1% in English (with excellent captioning), and closes with a party to celebrate German food and folk song. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (7-7-2016)