In Farewell Herr Schwarz, Feiv’ke Schwarz and his sister Michla both survived the Holocaust, but never met afterward despite that, through an acquaintance, had promised to meet her at a train station in Lodz, Poland. She waited and waited, but he never arrived. He, as it turns out, moved to East Germany, changed his name to Peter, got married and had a son, Uwe. Michla moved to Israel where she got married and started a family there. Both Feiv'ke and Michla never searched for one another. The film's director, Yael Reuveny , lives in Germany and his Feiv'ke's great-niece from her maternal side. The more Reuveny investigates and researches the story of her great-uncle, the more she comes to terms with the tragic parts of her family's history. She separates the film into 3 chapters, First Generation, Second Generation and Third Generation, to interview members of her family from three different generations who give provide their own account of what they know about Feiv'ke. The events that transpired to him and Michla could easily be turned into a narrative film because there's plenty of suspense, surprises (i.e. an unlikely friendship between Feiv'ke and someone else), intrigue and complicated emotions that rise to the surface along the way for everyone involved. It truly is an emotional journey that includes heartfelt epiphanies toward the end. Reuveny asks tough questions none of which has easy answers, but at least she's brave and mature enough to ask them despite her mother telling her that some things ought to be left alone. Farewell Herr Schwarz would make for a very fitting double feature with The Flat.

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Ode to My Father
Directed by Jk Youn