Hitler’s Children is a documentary that was filmed recently to cover an aspect of the Holocaust that isn’t often discussed: Nazi children and descendants. Most of the Holocaust and World War II movies and resources out there focus on the Jews or the Nazis themselves, but there is limited information on the people who are associated with Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, and other men who are known to be some of the most detestable men of the 20
th century, and perhaps of all time. This documentary gives viewers an entirely different perspective on life after the Holocaust.
Survivors of the Holocaust have had a rough life. That’s not to be questioned. Because of their heritage, they were victimized and targeted for hate crimes, slavery, and murder. It’s important to remember that there were other people affected by this event, however. The descendants of the
Nazi party’s most powerful men have been forced to live their lives with the knowledge that they share blood with some of the most evil men in history. This isn’t always easy to deal with, and in this documentary, the children of both the perpetuators and the survivors create a dialogue of what it is like to live with this reality.
For those who still have family names, they often have faced struggles in their lifetime. Some have changed their name to avoid association. Others have chosen sterility to ensure they don’t carry on the blood line any further, believing they would only give way to the potential for future evil. Some have been ostracized, ridiculed, and faced many obstacles in their life because of their relationship to the evil men behind the biggest genocide in modern history. It’s not an easy life to lead and it’s often a life that’s not discussed in Holocaust films.
In creating this dialogue, the director wanted to ensure that people got a new perspective on life after the Holocaust. The guilt, shame, and feeling of responsibility that some people carry is unimaginable. There are some who deny or simply don’t accept the fact that their relative was part of such a tragedy. They all have different reactions, but through this dialogue people can finally see things from both sides of the fence. For more than 60 years, descendants of the most powerful Nazi men have been living with the reality of their heritage. This documentary shares their stories and face their past so that they can move forward.