A Movie “Aida’s Secret” 11/6/17
November 6, 2017
Directed by Alon Schwarz and co-directed by his brother Shaul, the film is about the family torn apart after WWII. There is Izak Szewelewicz, a 68-year-old gardener, born inside the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp and sent for adoption in Israel. Since then he has been living in Israel. His brother Shep, 67, who was visually impaired from birth and has been blind, living in Winnipeg, Canada. Their mother Aida, 90, lives in a nursing home in Quebec and their (!?) father, Grisza, died in 2008. Shep knew Grisza, but Izak never met him. Izak knew their mother, Aida, but Shep never met her. The father was Jewish, and the mother was not. Both were born in Poland and both found themselves in the Bergen-Belsen displaced person’s camp after the war, where Izak and Shep were born. Aida and Grisza never married officially. Aida gave the boys up for adaption when they were still babies.
The brothers meet again the first time since the adaption, and started their investigation to search the secret around their birth with their mother, Aida. Izak and Shep went a nursing home to meet Aida. It was the first time to see Aida for Shep! She is 90 years old. Through their investigation Shep and Izak found that they are only half brothers and found there would be another brother, who has been living in Canada, not far away from where Shep has been living. But this brother refused to meet with them.
Shep visits Aida’s nursing home to ask her questions about their father. She answers simply “I don’t remember, I don’t remember.” Maybe that is true. But it seems she keeps a poker face. Also she said “I did my best to survive the situation.” I think that is very true. And she dies carrying her secrets to the heaven.
It is a very strong film, but I am against it. Aida’s secrets should not be searched from the beginning. She wanted to keep her secrets in her mind. She did not want anyone to know them. She gave up her children when they were babies and has lived her way. She did not expect her estranged children to visit her and reconnect with her. The film opened the unwanted door and no one can close this door…