Sadness can’t keep documentary down

Paul Saitowitz

Even in the height of darkness, some still have the ability to see

the light.

“The Boys of Buchenwald” is the story of more than 400 young boys,

orphaned by the perilous events of the Holocaust, who are sent to a

children’s home in France to try and reassemble some sort of normalcy

and pick up the pieces of their childhood.

Although difficult to deal with and rather dysfunctional at first,

many of the boys eventually find their way back into society and go

on to live productive healthy lives. Among them is former Nobel Peace

Prize winner Elie Wiesel.

The 46-minute documentary centers around the boys’ tour of their

former home back in France almost 60 years later, followed by their

reunion in Jerusalem. Many traveled from across the world to get

there, although quite a few remained extremely close over the years.

Listening to them reminisce about the happy times they shared in

the wake of such tragic events puts into perspective the resilience

of the human spirit.

The bond they have together is stronger than most families, and

most credit their fellow “boys” as the only way they were able to get

through that period of their lives.

The film is particularly effective in illustrating the plight of

the boys by mixing dramatic archival footage of the war years with

video footage shot in the modern day.

There is undeniable sadness in this film, but its overall message

is of hope and determination.