“This would have saved a great deal of grief.”

From Final Account.

Comprised of interviews with elderly German citizens that were part of Hitler’s Youth and eventually part of the Nazi forces, this documentary tells a harrowing tale. Joining Hitler’s Youth for a variety of reasons from national pride to a willingness to please parents involved in the military to the simple opportunity to wear the special uniform, many children and teens soon found themselves part of a national, unstoppable force. Influenced by teachers and curriculum, the young Germans silently sided with the Nazi party against Jews and other minority groups, even though they often did not necessarily hold the same beliefs as the Nazi party. As teens neared the end of their time in Hitler’s Youth, many of the boys volunteered for the SS divisions that they had been repeatedly told held an elite attraction and highly recognized sense of power. Teenage girls and all other German citizens, on the other hand, sought out jobs that surrounded the country’s many concentration camps. Just as those being interviewed held a wide variety of occupations decades earlier, so too is the variety of knowledge that each one claims to have about the holocaust of the Jews. Sharing memories from a wide variety of lifestyles throughout the war, the men and women being interviewed weave an almost unbelievable picture of what life in Nazi Germany required of its citizens, and how far the dangerous, intentional ignorance ran in the country.

Filled with haunting music and original footage of Hitler’s Youth and the rise of the Nazi party, this movie can be difficult to watch at times, which only highlights the importance of the film. This documentary offers a very interesting and unique look at one of the most volatile times in modern history. A consensus is reached by the majority of the interviewees that what took place was evil, but also prevalent is the ideology that those following orders hold little to no blame. Final Account is a startling reminder how easily an idea can overtake an entire country, but it is also a warning to not let the acceptance today become the villainy of tomorrow.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 90 minutes |Genre: documentary|

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 1 of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 3 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|