Daniel Goldhagen Film Analysis

1. In my opinion, there are many important reasons why Daniel Goldhagen produced this film, some of them personal to Daniel himself and others to reach a wider audience. Daniel’s father was a survivor of the Holocaust along with a scholar in the topic. He spent most of his life studying and teaching about the Holocaust and sharing his story. Being the son of a survivor, I think it was important that Daniel learned not just about the genocide his own blood survived, but also the many others that have plagued our world. It seemed that by producing this documentary Daniel was able to become closer with his father on a much deeper level and it also gave his father a chance to face the horrors of his past with someone who means the world to him.
The first tool that Daniel used to get me hooked and want to continue watching this film was talking about his personal experience with genocide. It’s one thing for a filmmaker to do research on genocide and talk about what the read and learn about, but to be able to hear from someone who’s own father survived one of the most talked about genocides in modern history is completely different. Being able to hear first hand stories from Daniel’s father and see the place where his family was brutally murdered, the home where he grew up and a ten year old boy had to contemplate his own death was more than enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and keep watching. This personalization of genocide made this film much more than just someone spewing out facts and kept me watching until the very end. Another technique that kept me watching and showed me that this film was important was Daniel traveled to many different countries to get an up close view of the genocide that took place there. When Daniel visited the mass graves in Guatemala and held the bones of adults and children who were brutally massacred I couldn’t help but shed a tear because those people were once someone’s mother, father, son, daughter and now they have been reduced to bones on the table of a forensic anthropologist. Seeing the bones of these victims made the genocide real helped to bring home the message that genocide is really worse than war and is one of the most inhumane things one can do. Along with
Trying to pick just one most compelling scene or incident from this film was rather difficult, however after some reflection and deep thinking what really stuck with me more than anything else from this film was when Daniel visited Guatemala and met with Otilia Lux De Coti, a member of Guatemala’s congress and of Mayan decent. What stuck out the most about this part of the film was that José Efraín Ríos Montt, the leader and organizer of the Guatemalan genocide of the Mayan people was still an active part of the country’s congress. I could not believe that a monster like Ríos Montt, a man who ordered the slaughter of many innocent men, women and children, could have any voice in Guatemalan government. I cannot imagine how Lux De Coti, a Mayan woman, must feel seeing the man who is responsible for killing her people everyday at work. Everyday facing a murder, a devil and monster like Ríos Montt is something I cannot wrap my mind around and that is why this part of the film left just a lasting impression on me. I also could not believe that Luz De Coti was able to continue with her work and seemed to take the high road when it came to Ríos Montt. I for one know I am not that strong and I really commend her for her bravery and hard