Afterward

Through a series of conversations with the German children of Nazi officers, Palestinians, and her own reflections, Ofra / the filmmaker, examines her own past growing up in Israel, moving to the United States, and the ongoing inter-generational trauma experienced by all sides. This is a movie that haunts you with the questions, courage, and wisdom of all the speakers, by talking with each other honestly about their past, present, and possible future.

Bloch's even-handed approach to the fraught history between the Germans and the Jews and the Palestinians and the Israelis, plus her honesty about her own prejudices, contribute to the success of this film both as documentary and personal history. Highly recommended.

Afterward is a moving and courageous film about Ofra Bloch's personal journey of processing her own trauma and confronting her role in indirectly traumatizing others. It challenges us all to think about how this applies to us personally and to our world order in general. It was moving, provocative, and beautifully done. It's an important film to see.

The film documents a personal journey to address a long standing hatred and fear of Germans that takes the narrator from childhood walks with her uncle, to Israel face to face with Palestinians discussing the occupation. Through a dozen or more interviews Ofra discusses her own past growing up in Israel, examines the trauma wounding both sides, and asks what our responsibility and complicity is now. These are not questions answered by the film; the audience is allowed to see each person in their full humanity and to try to answer for themselves as she traces the decisions she and her family have made along the way. A very powerful and compelling story that has stayed with me for days after seeing this moving film.

This is a different way to think about Israel and Palestine and to hear from people you haven't heard from. Ofra Bloch is a good interviewer and the people she interviews are not always happy with the questions she asks and she is not always happy with the answers. This is a brave personal movie. It's uncomfortable and thoughtful in a way few movies are these days.