Carine

The Devil Next Door

A 2019 documentary

John Demjanjuk, is suspected of being Ivan the Terrible, murderer of concentration camp, Treblinka

Synposis – A Cleveland grandfather is brought to trial in Israel, accused of being the infamous Nazi death camp guard known as Ivan the Terrible. They never stopped searching, but after so many years, how can they be sure they caught the right monster?

Opinion – Very interesting documentary that shows a different perspective of supposed crimes committed in a different time era. Made me reconfirm my believe that I think no one should go be allowed to go unpunished if they participated with violation of human rights. Everyone stands before the law and even the law should be just.

Length – 3h 49min ; English; Episodes – 5

SS Identify Pass was critical evidence for initial investigations

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

A 1979 drama adaptation of Maya Angelous’ autobiography

Synopsis – This film adaptation of Maya Angelou’s autobiography focuses on the author’s extremely difficult youth. Young Maya (Constance Good) lives at her grandmother’s in Arkansas. Life is hard for the little girl, but a truly dark turning point comes when she is raped by her mother’s boyfriend (Paul Benjamin). After she identifies her rapist, her uncles murder him. Overwhelmed with guilt and confusion, Maya becomes mute for years, struggling all the while to come to terms with her trauma.

Opinion – Very well performed, very interesting to see a beloved book turned into film. I can now visualize the life of a beloved poet of mine.

Directors – Fielder Cook; Length – 96 min; English

Watch on Youtube

A 3 Minute Hug

A short 2019 documentary that captures the joy and heartbreak of families separated by the U.S.-Mexico border sharing a short but bittersweet reunion in 2018.

Opinion – Although only 28 minutes, it’s nicely crafted. First of all, I really it like how different it starts, with voice recordings of the phone calls between separated families before their reunion. Much emotion is conveyed with only hearing each other, but it becomes even more real when they finally meet face to face. Although the music throughout could have been excluded; however, the tense music does match the thrilling minutes, the film was still well-made. As an immigrant myself, I know how beautiful moment it is to see your family again when so long separated, but compared to the years of separation so of them have experience is unimaginable. #hugsnotwalls 🙂

Director – Everardo González; Length – 28 minutes; Language – Spanish with English subtitles

Interesting articles on the backstory of the documentary. [Hyperlinked]

Available on Netflix.

Numbered

A 2012 documentary that explores the history and meaning of the numbers tattooed on the bodies of Auschwitz prisoners, guided by survivors’ testimonies.

Synopsis – “Auschwitz prisoners, both Jewish or non-Jewish, were tattooed with serial numbers, first on their chests and then their left arms. An estimated 400,000 numbers were tattooed in Auschwitz and its sub-camps; only some several thousand survivors are still alive today. Numbered is an explosive, highly visual, and emotionally cinematic journey, guided by testimonies and portraits of these survivors. The film documents the dark time and setting during which these tattoos were assigned as well as the meaning they took on in the years following the war. In fact, the film’s protagonist is the number itself, as it evolves and becomes both a personal and collective symbol from 1940 to today. These scars, paradoxically unanimous and anonymous, reveal themselves to be diverse, enlightening, and full of life.”

Opinion – Simplistic screening of survivors’ testimonies on the before and the after impact of their/this number. Pleasant to watch as additional reference to the number’s meaning and the experience and life of Auschwitz survivors.

Directors – Dana Doron, Uriel Sinai; Length – 55 minutes

Interesting articles on the author’s inspiration and history of the documentary. [Hyperlinked]

Available on Netflix, sold as DVD.