Genocide

For the third film review, I watched the film, Genocide. This film recounts the events leading up to the Holocaust, the Holocaust itself, and the aftermath of the Holocaust. I enjoyed this documentary, because I felt that it gave a detailed and informative account of the real events of the Holocaust. I have spent a lot of time in my academic career learning about the Holocaust, but I still found this documentary to be useful because of its clear and concise description of what went on.
One of the most memorable quotes I took away from the movie is, “It’s a true story, and it can happen again.” This quote resonated with me, especially after all of our studies regarding human rights. The fact that such a genocide as the Holocaust is not an isolated event, and similar genocides have happened in other places, namely Africa, show the harsh realities of the possibility of genocide.
I have learned in school about how anti-Semitism can be traced back to the times of Martin Luther, and this documentary also discussed this notion. The movie explained how Martin Luther wanted to “kick the Jews out of civilization.” This negative sentiment toward Jews is historical, and extremely unfortunate. The movie also discussed how Jews were “convenient scape-goats,” and how Romans saw Jews as “unnecessary.” As not only a Jew, but also a regular citizen of the world, it is very difficult to hear these kinds of things spoken about any group of people. It greatly saddens me that we live in, and have for a long time lived in a world so full of hatred and intolerance. It is because of this kind of attitude that 6 million Jews perished during the Holocaust.
Most painful to watch and listen to during this film were the accounts of brutality, violence, and humiliation against individuals. The movie recounted stories of individuals who encountered Nazi’s forcing them to strip naked, some were shot. There was a story of a daughter who watched her parents be taken away from her. All of these, obviously, human rights violations.
After I watch documentaries like “Genocide,” I feel more than a little sad and disturbed. It is unbelievable to me that such an atrocious crime took place only 70 (or so) years ago. I look forward to the day when the threat of genocide is obsolete. Even then, it is important that documentaries like “Genocide” are produced, because they serve as important reminders of the past.