Home » Reviews » Forgive Us Our Trespasses review: A simple, poignant story on a seldom talked about chapter in Nazi Germany’s genocides
Forgive Us Our Trespasses review: A simple, poignant story on a seldom talked about chapter in Nazi Germany’s genocides
The short film’s story is simple, but through its premise, it seeks to increase awareness among viewers with some jarring truths in Nazi Germany’s history that has long been overlooked
3.0/5
Feb 17, 2022
Forgive Us Our Trespasses
Story:
Set in Nazi Germany, Forgive Us Our Trespasses tells the story of a young boy named Peter, whose physical disability leads him to be targeted by Hitler’s eugenics doctrine, in which disabled people were ruthlessly executed by the government. One day, Nazi officials arrive at Peter’s home to take him away and he makes a run for it with the former hot on his trail.
Review:
The horrors of Nazi Germany marked one of the darkest and tragic periods in global history, with the victims of the same still finding themselves reeling from its trauma even generations later. Forgive Us Our Trespasses seeks to throw light on a chapter in the dark history of Hitler’s regime that rarely figures in most public discourse - the mass murder and eugenics doctrines that specifically targeted disabled people.
Even in the present day, disabled people are not free from rampant instances of ableism, a term used to define the discrimination the community faces, in their daily lives. From infantilisation to lack of basic accommodations to even life-threatening behaviours displayed towards them, the forms of discrimination they have to battle, just to live normal lives usually go unnoticed in an ableist society that caters to the majority, that is the non-disabled. So it comes as no surprise that even history has not been kind to the community, with the constant erasure of struggles and achievements of disabled people in the past, a glaring commentary on how even the past has failed them. Forgive Us Our Trespasses seeks to take a step towards righting this grievous wrong by centring its narrative on the disabled lives lost during the Nazi Era, which I’m sure even many well-versed with Germany’s dark history might not be fully aware of.
The story is told through the eyes of Peter, a young boy who has a limb difference, with part of his right arm missing. The prejudicial attitude the Nazi regime has towards disabled people is reflected even in the curriculum they force schools to follow. In the very first scene itself, we see how a simple math problem comments on how the caregiving costs incurred for a disabled person result in a huge ‘loss’ for the general public. The short film has a host of such subtle nuances in its simple story that is deeply moving, like Peter’s own mother forced to teach the curriculum that devalued her own son’s life and Peter having to listen to his own classmates suggest ‘killing’ disabled people as a valid solution to the ‘problem’. Perhaps, the most gut-wrenching is the scene when Nazi officers arrive at Peter’s home to take him away and we realise that his family has already been prepared for this exact moment, their uneasy wait for the tragic moment echoing through their every waking moment.
The brilliant performance by Knox Bibson just cements the hard-hitting narrative, and the script does a terrific job at putting forward a compelling story in a way that is subtle, yet powerful. The film’s stunning cinematography also does not falter in the least.
The film has no ‘ray of hope’ ending, not when one really thinks about where the film leaves Peter. Rather, its sole purpose seeks to serve as a message to audiences to remember this dark aspect in Germany’s history. It seeks to make people aware that among the numerous victims of the Nazis were also disabled people. Perhaps, this thought-provoking drama also makes a case for the dehumanising way, the disabled community is treated, or rather ignored, even today, suggesting some radical change.
Verdict:
With a very simple, yet thought-provoking story, Forgive Us Our Trespasses seeks to raise awareness on an important, dark phase in history, above all else. And it definitely succeeds in that matter through its powerful, yet subtle narration.
Forgive Us Our Trespasses is available to stream on Netflix.
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