Black Book

For my final media event, I attended a screening of the 2006 Dutch film Black Book. The film, which was part of the Emory Cinematheque's series on overcoming fascism, told the story of a young Dutch-Jewish singer who escapes death and becomes part of the Jewish resistance during WWII, and ends up falling in love with a Nazi officer.

In light of our country's current political situation, it was fitting for the Cinematheque to choose "Resisting Fascism" as their theme for this semester. As I watched the film, I tried to connect it to my own life today. I wondered if I could find the courage to join a resistance movement and seduce the enemy. I was also wondering what I would do if I were to fall in love with someone who works for a cruel establishment, and has opposing beliefs. The world we live in today is very divided politically (I don't know if this is a new phenomenon, or if I am just becoming aware of it). People who are pro-Trump are deemed racist by the left, and people who are anti-Trump are deemed anti-American by the right. I hear of married couples divorcing because one of them voted for Trump and the other didn't. It's hard to imagine people from two opposing sides falling in love during WWII, especially not a Jew and a Nazi, but apparently this film was based on true events and characters.