Shoah

In Claude Lanzmann's groundbreaking documentary, he delves deep into the untold stories of the Holocaust through an extensive and unflinching exploration of eyewitness accounts. Abstaining from using any archival footage, the filmmaker spent over a decade collecting first-hand testimonies, meticulously categorizing them into three groups: survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators. These candid narratives provide an intimate insight into the harrowing experiences of those who survived the Chelmno concentration camp or escaped Auschwitz, as well as those who witnessed the heroism of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The documentary also features a chilling report from an SS officer at Treblinka, offering an unnerving perspective from one of the perpetrators themselves. Through this remarkable and sobering documentation of these life-altering events, Lanzmann presents a harrowing yet essential portrayal of humanity's capacity for both horrific cruelty and remarkable resilience during the darkest period of human history.