Watch Red Trees

Red Trees is a beautiful and poignant documentary film that sheds light on the struggles of a Jewish family in Prague during the Holocaust. The movie follows the family of filmmaker Marina Willer, whose father Alfred was one of the few survivors of the genocide. The story starts in 1939 when the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia. The Willer family, who were successful architects, were forced to flee their home and leave everything behind. They became refugees in Brazil and started a new life there. In the documentary, Marina travels back to Prague with her father to retrace his memories of the past.

Throughout the film, the audience gets to experience the stunning visuals of Prague, Brazil, and Berlin. The cinematography by Cesar Charlone is breathtaking, and the use of archival footage is seamlessly integrated with the modern-day shots. The movie's decision to shoot in black and white also adds an additional layer of depth and emotion to the story.

Red Trees is not only a personal story but also a universal one. It showcases the human resilience and the power of hope in the face of loss and tragedy. Marina's father Alfred reflects upon his journey as a Holocaust survivor and what it means to him to have found a new home in Brazil. The movie raises critical questions such as: what does it mean to belong? What happens to a person's identity when they are forced to flee their homeland?

The film also features interviews with other Holocaust survivors, including Tim Pigott-Smith, whose poignant performance adds another level of heartbreak to the story. The survivors' stories highlight the vast range of experiences and emotions that people went through during this devastating period.

One of the movie's most remarkable features is how it seamlessly blends real-life footage with stunning and emotive animated sequences. These segments, beautifully designed by Kate Anderson, provide a unique and creative way of expressing the characters' innermost thoughts and feelings. This technique also serves to create an emotional distance, making the viewer feel the gravity of what is happening without becoming overwhelmed.

The movie's soundtrack, composed by David Schweitzer and tracks from Sigur Ros beautifully complements the vast footage of breathtaking scenes from both modern-day Prague and Brazil.

For anyone interested in Holocaust history or documentary cinema, Red Trees is a must-see. The film takes a genre that can be dense and heavy and infuses it with the humanity that we need to remember alongside the statistics. The documentary is a loving tribute to the Willer family and a sobering message to those who believe that humanity is incapable of inflicting injustice upon its fellow man. Red Trees serves as a reminder that stories are essential, and we never forget the horrors of the past.

Red Trees is a 2017 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 27 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.4 and a MetaScore of 57.