Hiding And Seeking: Unearthing something positive from the Holocaust in Poland

Reviewer: James van Maanen
Rating (out of 5): **** 1/2

In our current time of growing threats from fundamentalist religions of every sort, including increasingly rabid Holocaust deniers, a calm, thoughtful yet quite moving documentary such as Hiding and Seeking is of enormous importance. In fact, I haven't seen a more important film in quite some time. Made in 2003, released only briefly the following year, then shown on the PBS series POV in 2005, it is the work of a father/filmmaker Menachem Daum and his partner/friend Oren Rudavsky. Daum--disturbed by the idea of his two adult sons living in Israel, growing ever more circumscribed by their religious faith--organizes a trip to Poland, where he and his family can meet for the first time the Poles who saved the lives of his wife's family during WWII. Out of this grows a movie that witnesses how people come to terms with tolerance, faith, the "other," heroism, duty, and much more.

In Hiding and Seeking, we meet four generations of Jews and Poles; some of the former we see only in the U.S., the latter in their native Poland. The Jews travel to Poland, some of them not very happily, and then make a return visit. There are many moving scenes, as expected, but also plenty of humor, surprise, sadness and irony--with not a moment wasted or unfulfilling. Although this is seat-of-the-pants filmmaking, it is done with enormous tact and feeling for everyone involved. The guiding force--the philosophy--at work here is one to be treasured and encouraged. Whatever your country, culture, or religion, I cannot imagine that you won't profit enormously from seeing this wonderful film--the very existence of which makes it a vital and important piece of history. (Watch the DVD extras, particularly the interview with Daum, in which he provides additional information that surfaced after the film was completed.)

To give the Daum son who has the film's final word his due: Yes, I realize this is but one single incident of kindness, courage and decency out of so many more that were impossibly ugly and grim. But offering it up, honoring it, and allowing the world to see and consider it might just mean that next time there might be two incidents. Or four. Or more. The broader lesson, of course, is that if we must judge people, let it be on the basis of their actions rather than the "identity" provided by their race, religion, country of origin or sexual preference.