69
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comWhat Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy wields a power that towers above many other small movies. It may not be the large definition of cinematic, but it is still a true film.
- 80Village VoiceDiana ClarkeVillage VoiceDiana ClarkeDespite a melodramatic title, the film is keen and measured. Drama builds in the small moments.
- 80Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganScreen DailyFionnuala HalliganA Nazi Legacy – What Our Fathers Did comes to a climax in Lviv, but the film is a layered examination of brutality, self-deception, guilt and the nature of justice which is compelling throughout.
- 75New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartIn the film’s most visceral scene, as the trio stands on the site of a mass grave in Lviv, Ukraine, von Wächter still can’t bring himself to admit his father’s direct culpability.
- From the outset, What Our Fathers Did doesn’t have much narrative thrust. The film makes it clear that it is more interested in the process than any end goal. But the process of what exactly is a question that gnaws unanswered for the first third of the documentary.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeWhat begins as a friendly trip grows increasingly tense as the men visit sites of mass murder.
- 70The New York TimesKen JaworowskiThe New York TimesKen JaworowskiWhile these men aren’t accountable for the actions of their fathers, they are obligated to recognize the truth of what happened. To see one of them deny that truth is difficult to watch, and just as hard to look away from.
- 58The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThere’s a rigidity of purpose here that keeps A Nazi Legacy from ever becoming startling or revelatory.
- 50Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardThe conclusion suggests the film exists to affirm the preconceived desires and perceptions of its makers.
- 50Los Angeles TimesMartin TsaiLos Angeles TimesMartin TsaiSands' scripted narration sounds detached and dissociated from the grief, frustration and anger he sporadically displays.