Six Million and One

Plot summary

Joseph Fischer's memoir was discovered only after his death. His children refused to confront it, except for David, the filmmaker, for whom it became a compass for a long journey. When David found it unbearable to be alone in the wake of his father's survival story and in his struggle not to lose his sanity, he convinced his brothers and sister to join him in the hope that this would also contribute to releasing tensions and bring them as close as they used to be. His siblings, for their part, couldn’t understand why anyone should want to dig into the past instead of enjoying life in the present. The journey eventually leads the Fishers into the dark depths of the B8 Bergkristall tunnels, part of the Austrian KZ Gusen II concentration camp, where their father endured forced labor during the Holocaust. Illuminated only by flashlights, they seek meaning in their personal and family histories and undergo surgical and revealing discussions about family, survival and individualism only to come to the realization that they are unable to fully understand their father's past and the events that haunted him. Joseph Fischer's last couple of weeks at Gunskirchen concentration camp, were an inhuman experience that blocked his writing. In order to find out what his father failed to describe about Gunskirchen's liberation David located veterans of the 71st Infantry Division who liberated the camp. The elderly soldiers are still haunted and traumatized by the horrific sights they came across when entering the camp. Through their journey, the Fishers become emblematic of the entire second generation who are still grappling with the experience of their survivor parents.

Director's statement: "For me, This isn't a film about the Holocaust, because we (Me and my siblings) spent most of our time laughing and there is nothing funny about the Holocaust; It's about a rare kind of intimacy and brotherly bond that replaced pain with bitter-sweet humor."

Production

The film was shot on HD and was released on DCP and HDCAM. It was produced for ZDF/ARTE in Europe and YesDocu in Israel with the support of The New Fund for Cinema and Television (NFCT), the Israeli Film Council, with the collaboration of the Claims Conference, the Cultural Office of Upper Austria, the Future Fund and Nationalfonds, Austria.

The film was theatrically released in Israel by Lev theaters, in Austria by Thimfilm and in the USA by Nancy Fishman Film Releasing, premiering at Lincoln Plaza cinema NYC and broadcast on BBC Four.

Additional production credits:

Special events

The film is regularly shown at special events, seminars and advanced studies that concern such topics as Holocaust diaries, memory and trauma and the second generation to Holocaust survivors.

Screenings at:

Festivals and awards

The film was selected and screened at the following film festivals:

A great film, really emotional, open and wonderful interaction. I am recommending it on tonight's IDFA talkshow.

A remarkable film about one of the biggest tragedies in history: In a compelling manner, the film maker, David Fisher,
manages to lucidly and efficiently combine an emotional family story with elements of universal questions
in a surprisingly light and charming way – taking us all on a memorable and touching journey.

In 2012 the film won the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport award for works in the field of Zionism.

Critical review

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 90% based on 10 reviews. Metacritic gives the film an average score of 52 out of 100, based on 5 reviews.