A Song for Argyris 2006
Distributed by Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Fontana
Directed by Stefan Haupt
DVD, color, 105 min.
College - Adult
European Studies, Human Rights, World War II
Date Entered: 04/27/2010
Reviewed by Jessica Schomberg, Minnesota State University, MankatoThis documentary explores the aftermath of the invasion and occupation of Greece by Nazi German soldiers during World War II by following the life of one survivor. Argyris Sfountouris was three and a half years old when his parents were killed. When the war ended, Argyris was separated from his remaining family and, at the age of eight, sent to the Pestalozzi Children's Village in Switzerland. Rather than forget his past, Argyris chose to remember and to use his memories in a lifelong pursuit of peace and justice. While the narrative of the film meanders quite a bit, that is the one constant: choosing to remember.
Archival photographs and film footage interspersed with contemporary interviews of survivors of the Distomo massacre. Narration in German, interviews in German, Greek or French, with English subtitles. The graphic nature of some of the reminiscences will be a challenge for younger viewers.
Recommended for libraries collecting on the topics of Greek or German history or war crimes and reconciliation.