Deep Dive: The Flat (2011)
Film Lens
The Flat is a documentary that follows Arnon Goldfinger as he and his family clear out the apartment of his deceased grandmother, Gerda Tuchler, who lived there for 70 years after immigrating to Israel from Nazi Germany. The film begins shortly after her death and captures the process of sorting through her belongings, revealing significant family history intertwined with historical events.
As Goldfinger sifts through various items, he reveals a hidden past involving his grandparents' relationship with Leopold von Mildenstein, a high-ranking Nazi official. This relationship included Mildenstein's visits to Palestine in the 1930s, where he wrote sympathetic reports about the Jewish community. The film presents a personal narrative that intertwines family history with broader historical contexts, challenging the family's previously held beliefs about their past.
Why Watch
- •Find out about a Nazi official's friendship with a Jewish family.
- •See how family history intertwines with major historical events.
- •Meet Arnon Goldfinger as he reveals buried family secrets.
Did You Know
•The Flat was released in Israel in September 2011 and ran for 13 months.
•The film won the Best Editing in a Documentary Feature Award at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
•Arnon Goldfinger began filming alone after his grandmother's death in 2011.
•The German version features Axel Milberg as the narrator, who is a renowned actor.
Perfect For
Jewish historyDocumentary filmmakingNazi Germany studies