Regardless of
the decades that have passed since the horrific atrocities of the Nazi
Holocaust in Europe , stories of inspirational
survival continue to sprout up. I suppose this is a silver lining in the
tragedy that befell so many families; that there were some who were able to
persevere and survive. Entire family trees exist because of the bold decisions
a few made in order to avoid entering the ghettos, not to mention the
concentration camps.
In October of
1942, Esther Stermer and her various immediate and distant family members were
forced to enter caves outside of their city in order to avoid the Nazis. They
were joined by many other families and eventually caught, but were able to
escape before being sent away for good. They then found another cave which had
never been discovered, and it had its own water supply to help decrease any
need to leave shelter. The women and children lived in the cave for nearly a
year and a half, which is the longest recorded uninterrupted underground survival
period. The men would leave their hiding place only to seek out food, much of
which needed to be stolen discretely.
The story is
discovered by amateur cave explorer Chris Nicola comes across some of their
belongings in the first cave and decides to investigate. Much of the film is
told through interviews, however, and then the last section of the movie is
dedicated to the survivors who are able to return and see the caves this many
years later. One gentleman in his 90s brings his grand-daughter to see the
caves that he survived in, making for a moving revelation about the generations
of family members who are alive because of the bravely of those few.
The Blu-ray
release includes a bevy of spectacular bonus features, including the story of
several of the families after the war ended, and features of Nicola cave
exploring in the USA and in Slovakia
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Disc Features: 8/10
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