Jealous of the Birds

About The Film

Why would some 15,000 Holocaust survivors remain in Germany after WWII? Victims and children of perpetrators confront this fundamental but taboo question in this revelatory addition to the pantheon of Holocaust documentaries. In a hybrid of personal exploration and communal discourse, filmmaker Jordan Bahat first desires to understand the choices made by his grandparents. In emotional interviews with other survivors, their children and the larger German community, Bahat then explores the guilt born by Nazi progeny, and what it means for victims and perpetrators to live as neighbors. The film becomes a conversation about the legacy of ignominy, questions of shame and national identity, and the human capacity to confront and rebuild across the generations. JEALOUS OF THE BIRDS is enhanced by a haunting original score by Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer and composer Aleksey Igudesman.