Powerful, emotional, heart and gut-wrenching scenes and comments by these descendants who must learn about and live with the horror of what their fathers, grandfathers, and uncles did to other human beings. In a sense--though not at all the same--they are also victims of the Nazis. Survivors who do not blame them and even embrace them are heroic in their compassion.
shareI agree this is profound documentary. I also agree with tyboulder that at times the music kind of overly dramatized some of the people's comments just was not needed. I was surprised by what Rainer Hoess said to the Jewish group at Auschwitz. When asked what he would do if he met his grandfather (Rudolf Hoess) he said he would kill him.
To have a family relative have a major part in the Nazi party would be very unusual state of mind. I can't imagine how I would feel if I were in their shoes.
Psychologist Stanley Milgram at Yale University in 1963 did an experiment where he demonstrated that most people under the right circumstances would cause major pain to someone else when directed by someone in authority. The Milgram Experiment.
I feel very sorry for what happened to the Jewish people in the war. But we need to remember this could happen in other countries. Human nature can to very good things and very bad things.