Two Movies, One War
by Pat Frickey

More than seventy years after it has ended, we are still coming to terms with the horror of the Second World War. Two films at Filmfest Hamburg grapple with the trauma of this historical calamity.

TRAUTMANN the German | British production is the uplifting story of postwar Europe in which goalkeeper Bert Trautmann, a former German POW, becomes a national hero in the UK. He is a symbol the reconciliation of two nations after a long and terrible war. There are a few flashbacks in the film of wartime atrocities, including the Nazis murdering innocent Jews. Yet the overwhelming message of director Marcus H. Rosenmüller is inspirational and optimistic.

The second film I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWNIN HISTORY AS BARBARIANS by Romanian director Radu Jude is the polar opposite. This docu/drama/comedy exposes the official cover up of Romanian wartime massacres; the number of Jews murdered in the Romanian Holocaust was around 380,000. Like in TRAUTMANN, we are shown very disturbing images of the slaughter of the Jews. Romania’s atrocities only came to light in the ‘90s, and are not a revelation present day Romanians like to acknowledge. If there is an uplifting message at all in this movie, Radu Jude makes it clear that he is on a mission to make films to expose the truth.