First let me say that I enjoyed the film.
I have always wondered what descendants of such people felt. I am never one to blame someone for the sins of a relative.
But I do have one question. Why have these people not changed their names? I would think they would have doe it just for safety considerations.
If they addressed it in the movie, I apologize. I sometimes miss things while multi tasking.
I wondered the exact same thing. Their name is their closest link to their Nazi relatives, why not rid themselves of that connection? None of them seemed particularly proud of the names.
sharePsychologists say your name is one of the most important thing in your life and its change will be really serious act. It affects personally and deeply to identity. I think changing your name is a really hard decision so maybe they have some fear or something about it. I think probably they have some ambivalent feelings with their surname. It connects them to the ancestors (in sense of not to the nazis but you know to the "origin" or the "pedigree" or the "who-am-I-in-fact") BUT also they are ashamed that names.
I think also that changing their names maybe can mean for they a kind of "to escape facing with the troubles" or some kind of "weakness" or "losing" which maybe not acceptable to them.
Maybe it's some "penitence" not changing the surname. Maybe it's subliminal or "involuntary" because of the remorse. Yes they know that they didn't do something criminal or such. But maybe they feel the weight of the ancestors' sin.
Maybe this is some defiance. They try to live their lifes with that names despite the "shame" or the "stigma". Maybe it helps to lift up their face.
So obviously it's not a simple problem. I thought about it many times after watching the film.
Different kinds of men/women - different ways in their lifes. But there are the ancestors in the background (of their lifes).
Yes, it's an interesting question (for us but for that people...).