The Last Survivor

I was lucky enough recently to see a screening of The Last Survivor, a new documentary that shows a glimpse into the lives of survivors of several different genocides. The filmmakers start from the premise that only half the story of genocide is ever told. People speaking about genocide tend to speak about the horrific events as if they were isolated, ignoring the fact first of all the genocide came from somewhere: there was planning, and there were warning signs that were ignored. And afterward, there are survivors left, people who somehow must go on, and out of the pieces of whatever happens to remain, build a life. Hédi Fried is a woman who was 20 years old when she was sent to Auschwitz in 1944, where she lost much of her family. Jacqueline Murekatete is the only survivor of a large extended family killed in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which occurred when she was 10 years old. Justin Semahoro Kimenyerwa is a member of the Banyamulenge tribe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a tribe that has been persecuted, hunted, and killed over many years. And Adam Bashar survived atrocities in Darfur in 2003, escaping across Egypt to Israel, where he currently lives. All four show remarkable passion and courage, but what makes the film so fascinating is the variety of ways in which their passion and courage take shape and find voice: through political activism, social work, and even worship and thanks to God. I can only recommend highly that you see it when possible. It was everything a film like this should be: heartbreaking, and yet triumphant at the same time.