Parents' Guide to

Shoah

By Sabrina McFarland, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Holocaust narratives share sorrow of the era in epic docu.

Movie NR 1985 565 minutes
Shoah Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

age 15+

9 hours that are compelling and matter-of-fact

This film took a long time for me to get through...it is after all 9 hours, and although you can make the argument that you can trim the documentary here and there this is a journey that takes a long time and the stretching and manipulation of time is essential to the viewing experience. I watched this film over many sittings over the course of a week and found the delivery gripping and compelling. Lanzmann offers a film about the Holocaust that is matter-of-fact, without sentimentality. And all of the interviews, presentations, and translations serve this purpose. It is truly incredible and works extremely well with the subject matter. Lanzmann's film is captivating for 9 hours...not many can come close to that level of focus and storytelling.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
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Lanzmann, who is also a journalist, uses solid interviewing skills to reveal unspeakable Holocaust memories through first-person testimonies. "Every day, we saw thousands and thousands of innocent people disappear up the chimney," reveals Shoah's Filip Müller, a Slovak Jew and survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. "There they came, men, women, children, all innocent. They suddenly vanished, and the world said nothing! We felt abandoned. By the world, by humanity." Shoah remains today an essential film to educate about the history of the Holocaust and the issue of intolerance.

Movie Details

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