Jealous of the Birds Trailer (2011)

Trailer for the documentary Jealous of the Birds.

Jealous of the Birds focuses on the emotional history of a small community of Holocaust Survivors who remained in Frankfurt, Germany after liberation from Nazi death camps, and asks the question, 'Why would a Survivor choose to remain in Germany -- shoulder to shoulder with their perpetrators?' The question churns the imagination, conjuring images of Survivors sitting in subway cars beside former members of the Wermacht, driving past signs that read 'Dachau', shaking hands with strangers that had once donned the SS uniform. The film's point-of-view is hybridized between a personal exploration (as the filmmaker confronts his grandparents about questions they had never answered) and a communal discourse, illustrated by historical footage, emotionally charged first-hand accounts, and analysis. The film focuses on this society, highlighting man's ability to rebuild rather than destroy and discussing questions of shame, national identity, and integration. The reconstruction of a Jewish society in post-War Germany was much derided by Jewish organizations the world over. Nonetheless, about 30,000 Survivors remained, deemed the pariah of the Jewish world. Survivors explain their reasons for being in Germany. Their children reflect on their unwillingness to identify as German. Survivors, their children, and those outside of the community meditate on how long the cloud of the Holocaust must remain over Germany. Jealous of the Birds tells the story of what happened next -- through the eyes of a taboo community of Survivors, their children, and others.