The impact of this seminal French World War II/Holocaust documentary on audiences and filmmakers belies its short running time. The film’s exploration of subjectivity and memory greatly influenced the genre and the French New Wave film movement. Released just 11 years after the end of the war, director Alain Resnais collaborated with Holocaust survivor and poet/novelist Jean Cayrol to develop a script that centered on victims’ experiences. Contrasting these shocking stories is a stoic voiceover that guides the film. Another juxtaposition is the black and white documentary images of Nazi concentration camp horrors with serene, color contemporary footage of the camps. Further connecting past to present, the film is timeless in asking who is responsible when the unthinkable is allowed to happen. — Lisa Elliott
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