Le silence des autres

With Hitler's help, Franco was able to win the Spanish Civil War and would go on to rule the country for almost 40 years. After his death, the legislature overwhelmingly passes an Amnesty Law and those seeking justice are blocked. This is a compelling documentary. Spain's Fascist past has a direct connection to today's politics. The stories are heartbreaking. I almost suggest giving up on the legal system and putting all the testimonies/evidence into a time capsule for future generations. Their persistence is inspiring and it's wonderful that there is movement towards justice. That puts this over the top. It gives this movie a fairly happy ending.

Every single person shown in this documentary wants one thing: justice- for themselves, their families, friends, loved ones, for the victims and survivors of the franco-dictatorship. _ It's truly a masterpiece, a brave production, the selected scenes, the music, the slowly but rising number of the people joining the lawsuit during the years, the end of the documentary (a somewhat victory)... but it's still not the end for the people, it's still going on. The struggle truly continues.

I very much liked this documentary while watching it. I have little knowledge of this issue (other than Franco being barely to the left of Hitler, his ally during WWII, with similar racial policies), as it has been forgotten or tried to be by almost everyone, esp the US, as Spain was a needed ally for a military base, and a handy anti-communist state (oh the terrible right wing regimes we have backed for that reason!). There was a lot of satire about Franco in the 70s, and then Juan Carlos after that, particularly by Sat Night Live, but other than that, not much info going around.

This is a very focused film, only about the lawsuit filed in 2010, and I appreciate that. It is very well done and doesn't pander to the viewer's sympathies. It is only near the end that the emotional intensity is raised. Now I'm ready to learn more about both sides. I see in the critical reviews, some predictably claiming that both sides did things, which is the usual defense of these things, as well as the accusation of "revenge" aimed at the victims or families of Franco's regime, as if that makes hundreds of thousands killed and tortured by Franco's (and following) regime ok. But my further research (don't look to Wikipedia, strangely lacking on this matter) will enlighten me. I will search for other docs on this matter and the history of the Spanish Civil War and following era.

As the families of murder victims know, there is little closure if the body is not found, or the murderer are not found or tried and/or punished. War crimes involve the addition of mass graves and that the families know exactly how their loved ones were jailed, tortured, and murdered. For their beliefs (not any better than someone being murdered for the change in their pockets). The real shame here is in the last grave shown and that Franco and his minions learned from the fate of their friends Hitler and the Nazis.

One of the most sensible documentaries about the fight of a few victims of Franco's dictatorship for justice. I saw it in Barcelona where the director and one of the fighters were. At the end the audience stood up and applauded a lot. The documentary has a few strong emotional moments. Now I understand more why Spain has problems with this part of its history.

I am proud to know this film won the award given in my father's name. It is exactly the kind of film he believed could bring into the light the dark moments in history. Even today Spain refuses to give justice to people who suffered under the Franco regieme. But the people of Spain dont give up.