The Soldier

ABOUT THE FILM

History doesn’t repeat itself – or does it?

To answer this question, I trace the footsteps of my late grandfather. I visit the places of his childhood and youth in inter-war Austria. His lifeline takes me back to the beginnings of World War II, and I follow the route of his Wehrmacht unit across present-day Poland.

In the course of my personal journey of discovery, I comb through historical archives, come across the testimonies from contemporary witnesses and encounter their descendants. And I deal with my own family history as well as myself. Together with my grandfather’s unvarnished private records, a complex cosmos of fears of decline and promises of redemption unfolds – all of which culminates in the world’s greatest crime against humanity. What can we learn from my grandfather’s life story and my own life story? Why is coming to terms with his past so difficult? And do I have the courage to face the dark spots of my own past?

The story of THE SOLDIER pertains to a particular time and place but has universal human import. The film is a journey into the darkest corners of human history – and back to our present. A timely film about the exclusion of minorities, about our own susceptibility to seduction and about the resurgence of resentment.

The film is currently in the financing stage.