Educational Media Reviews Online

Filmmaker Mark Pedri chronicles his revelatory journey, retracing the steps of his deceased grandfather, an American soldier and prisoner of war in Europe in World War II. The film is an excellent balance of exposition of historical events, such as General Patton's strategies and Allied campaigns; Pedri's grandfather's personal writings; and Pedri's reflections and discoveries as he treks across Europe with his wife, gathering clues and artifacts along the way. Although the viewer's first reaction to the coupling of grainy black and white footage to which one is accustomed with World War II footage, with a bright, lively footage of the same locations today, may be a bit jarring, that is the genius of the film, in fact. It emphasizes the linkages of the lessons of history and the testaments to people's sacrifices, to today's world.

From a purely informative standpoint, this work touches on often neglected aspects of World War II, such as the Nazi extermination of the mentally ill in concentration camps, the existence of "sorting camps," and the dire conditions of Allied prisoners of war in World War II.

The strength of the film is felt when Pedri exhibits and reads the letters of his grandfather and of his deceased comrades. While personal touches, such as the "research montage," added character to this work, this film was at times too personal. The attention paid to the bicycling from place to place, for example, felt unnecessary. Many war documentaries, even those replete with primary source material as this one, rarely offer such devotion to an individual. This triumph of this film is its sustained revelation and honor paid to a humble and decorated war hero.

Awards:
Best Documentary Feature, GI Film Festival 2022

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