Les secrets de mon père

"My Father's Secrets" is a Holocaust-themed animated film based on a graphic novel. The narrative follows two brothers as they uncover their father's harrowing experiences during the Holocaust through photographs and a diary. This journey of self-discovery and healing profoundly impacts their lives.

The film begins with a haunting piano melody, setting the somber tone for the unfolding story.

The film is set in Belgium in 1959, where two inseparable brothers, one of whom notices numbers on his father's arm, express concern about their father's well-being. The father subsequently conceals his arm, leading to further intrigue and curiosity among the brothers.

They discover photographs in their house and a diary belonging to their father. The diary contains handwritten photographs of emaciated individuals, evoking a sense of fear and uncertainty in the brothers. They fear that they may find a photograph in the book that resembles their father.

The brothers overhear the term "Auschwitz" being mentioned and inquire about its significance. Their father, visibly distressed, warns them never to utter that name again.

Despite their father's efforts to conceal the truth, the brothers have a strong suspicion that their father was involved in a war.

The film reveals the contrasting reactions of the father and mother, both of whom have been deeply affected by their experiences in the Holocaust. The father's anxiety is palpable as he boards a train with his children, fearing that he may lose important documents.

The film has a poignant scene where the entire family witnesses the trial of Eichmann. The mother and father are filled with elation as Eichmann is sentenced to death for his role in the systematic murder of countless Jewish individuals during the Holocaust.

The father began visiting Auschwitz with young people and sharing his story with them. His own children did not comprehend why they had not been told the story by him.

However, in the end, the father agreed to tell his story to one of his sons many years later after one of his sons passed away. That son decided to pass on his story, and that is what he is doing today with this movie.