Tesouro

In 'inspired by truth' father / daughter drama "Treasure" 36 yr old Jewish New Yorker Lena Dunham visits Poland (in 1991) with dad Stephen Fry (not good - largely due to his effected accent) to see where he grew up before WWII, when he & his business-owning family were displaced from their home to the Auschwitz death camp... a past he's always been reluctant to discuss with her. Director / co-writer (with John Quester) Julia von Heinz keeps her first English-language movie as light as possible, but obviously the subject matter is dark & sombre. It's a noble film, on a subject all should be educated on... but it sure isn't easy 'feel good' viewing.

American journalist "Ruth" (Lena Dunham) had long planned a trip from the USA to her ancestral home in Poland only to find her effervescent father "Edek" (Stephen Fry) has decided to join her. A fluent speaker and full of a slightly annoying joie de vivre, they embark on a trip to the tourist sites, but that's not what she wants. She wants to head to the family home in Lodz where they were a successful industrial family before the Nazi's confiscated their wealth, property and sent "Edek" and his wife to Auschwitz. What is clear is that dad is not so keen on this itinerary, nor is he at all keen on train travel - and the remainder of the film takes us on a family journey that will open the eyes of the daughter whilst bringing back the demons for the father. This tries quite effectively at times to introduce some humour into what is quite an emotional topic, especially when their trip does eventually take them (and us) to his haunting place of incarceration where he finds a flood of memories readily come back to him. Fry over-eggs the accent a bit, but he does manage to convey something of the harrowing nature of his incarceration, and of his mind's determination to protect itself from opening that door to trauma again. Dunham also serves well enough as his independently-minded daughter to support that increasingly troubled characterisation. It's quite a poignant drama that encourages us, as D-Day 80 is still fresh in the mind - to imagine the horrors visited on the Polish people by the Nazis and to realise that in many cases (this is set in 1991) their houses and businesses were still pretty much as they were left in 1941 - only largely dilapidated and with new, poverty-stricken occupants. I did rather like the conclusion - it poses quite an interesting question about what we might do in her place. As a drama, it maybe doesn't need the cinema, but the photography at the now silenced death camp is still blood-curdling.

After the loss of her mother, Ruth decides to make a pilgrimage to Poland and learn about her parents' past. Her father, Edek, decides to join her and make it a daughter-father's trip. As Ruth and Edek travel through Poland, they learn and relive the Jewish people's history and experience how things are in the present. As they travel together, Edek and Ruth learn more about each other, share their burdens, and grow closer.

This film is based on the true story of the child of two Auschwitz death camp survivors and her journey to learn about her family. The story is approached delicately. While the subject is heavy, the story is told simultaneously in a manner that is both serious and lighthearted. The story develops slowly, making the audience feel the nearly two-hour runtime. This film has multiple themes the audience can focus on, and by the end, it is a very gratifying watch. This is a decent watch once it is available to stream.

This is a better , rawer version on Auschwitz travel.

Daughter drags dad, an actual survivor to seeing the the most remembered place of modern history. The opening is a good sample of what to expect, a daughter who actively researched the actual Nazi scripts on how the Jews are to be treated, and a Dad , a survivor who does not want to be there.

The contrast is extremely well handled through the few days of this journey. In contrast to the much acclaimed RESL PAIN, this story actually ventures into their old home taken away by force, with previous things , hence the title. You can't stop the burst of tears when the Dad hugs and reminisces the tragedy with his father's jacket. And the china, a crisp reminder of how well the community lived before being trashed. The best scene was when the dad calls of a mistake in the guide's narration of where the victims arrived , and finds the actual submerged rail tracks. Really heart-wrenching, if you are well into the story and the backdrop itself I wish this one more celebrated than the relatively shallow depiction in real pain,

The story is foremost, the acting is genuine. The story is presented in a respectful manner, it's hard to convey such a repugnant time in history.

They got it right, there are many ways to get it wrong or to be offensive. Heartfelt yet direct. I'll not influence the story line. A must watch production those that can identify with the story line and subject will without doubt be moved. Sadly due to the polarization in the world today, the subject matter could create conflict. My hopes are that everyone will feel the humanity and come away with positivity and respect for the experiences presented.