This is a view of German life before and during the early period of WWII as seen through the lens of contemporary home movies. Some of the photographers are known and some are unknown, but all of them shot color film. The images are stunning and at the same time haunting. The only sign of the tragic catastrophe that is to befall Germany, is the appearance of the swastika (Hakenkreuz) and men in uniform that become commonplace images as we move from the 30s into the 40s.
The writing is excellent, the editing and directing top-notch and the narration by Charly Hübner is absolutely perfect. It doesn't glorify Nazism, or become an anti-Nazi screed. It simply shows the images that were exposed on this home movie film. In that sense it has a very limited scope. It talks about the people we are seeing.
This doesn't depict the horrors of war, but it does touch on how life in Germany was changing due to the war and Nazi influence. It is in German, but I think it can be enjoyed even without German ability. This film is unlike any film I've seen documenting this period in German history. It was so interesting and different, I didn't want it to end. So impressed was I by this movie, I gave it perhaps my one and only 10.
