Julia Jarmond, an American journalist married to a Frenchmen, is working at a magazine in Paris. She is appointed to write an article about the Vel d’Hiv roundup of Jews in Paris, in 1942. While doing research she uncovers that the family apartment she is supposed to move into with her husband was directly involved in the roundup. Bertrand’s family acquired the apartment she and her husband plan to move into when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She makes it her mission to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. As Sarah digs into the story of Jewish survival, the more she learns about her family and herself.
This film contributes to our understanding of the Holocaust because it shows viewers that the Holocaust was not an isolated incident in Germany. There were thousands of places across Europe that were touched by Nazi polices. One of the reasons I enjoyed this film is because you did not …show more content…
I found that the modern day story with the baby and marriage issues took away from the importance of the Vel d’Hiv roundup. The actors did an excellent job of portraying the emotions that a Jewish family might have had in all of the concentration camp scenes, particularly the one where Sarah and her mother are separated. I also enjoyed that the director choose to show a softer side to one of the Nazi guards. While I know that a majority of guards were cruel and mean, I liked that one of the guards seemed to be watching out for Sarah, especially after her parents had been sent to Auschwitz. Another part of the movie that I enjoyed was watching Sarah’s son learn about his mother. He had no idea about the trials and tribulations his mother had endured, and the fact that he finally was able to learn about them made me