Definitely in the category of small films, this little German number set in Poland takes the story of Sven, a young German,who comes to Auschwitz to do his civil service and ends up having to babysit a veteran of the camp who is in his 80’s and far from an easy job. He is also involved in and around the monuments and this allows him to meet Anya, a Polish guide who he falls for. The films throws up all sorts of questions about the German role in Poland today with local Polish being relatively cool towards their presence. It also asks us to look at what and how we remember such tragic events in the past and as the film progresses Sven realizes how important it is to value the memories of history and how that today is a challenge with the young. A gentle film which makes a number of points quietly, I enjoyed it a lot although there is nothing outstanding either in front or behind the camera to mention in particular. Simply, a quiet, competent film.
