A family’s stories and legends are always a tricky place to visit. What is unsaid often carries more weight than what is. When Hadley Freeman looked into the shoebox of memories left by her Grandmother, Sala, her journey would take her from Miami Beach to Chrzanów, Poland to Paris and to Auschwitz. What she has crafted into the House of Glass can only be described as an enthralling, heartbreaking and haunting book.
Read MoreCan you make a good joke about the Holocaust? Nazis, by all means. But the Holocaust itself? That is the premise of Ferne Pearlstein's superb documentary on the subject. To broach such a subject, you need to have the roster to bring weight to the subject and my goodness, Pearlstein has gathered a who's who of the great and greater of Jewish comedy. A film that could have relied on the humour doesn't and the survivors interviewed make this the best film I saw at this years London Film Festival.
Read MoreYou never walk into a film cold. You always carry something with you. These days, with them interwebs, it is even harder not too. Trailers tell every bit of a film, the days of mystery are gone. Yet, when you walk into a film about the Holocaust, no matter what the film's pedigree, there is a sense of foreboding. When you are walking into a Cannes Grand Prix winner and your fellow festival goers troop in with buckets of popcorn, frankly, I thought I was in the wrong cinema. I'd opted for a beer, which, as it turns out, was not strong enough.
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