In cooperation with the Jewish Museum of Prague, the American Center, and the Rafael Institute the documentary film “Prisoner of Her Past” was shown on October 14, 2010, at the American Center in Prague.
This documentary film tells the story of Holocaust survivor Sonia Reich as it is gradually uncovered by her son, Howard Reich, jazz critic for the Chicago Tribune. He sets out on this quest when his mother suddenly flees her house, insisting that someone is trying to kill her. A whole year goes by before it is determined that the cause of her erratic behavior is late-onset post-traumatic stress disorder. Howard’s subsequent search to discover the secret of Sonia’s childhood takes him across the United States and, more importantly, to Poland and her birthplace in the Ukraine, to family relatives he did not know even existed. The film shows the problems associated with the delayed effects of trauma experienced by children who survived the Holocaust. This issue has thus far received little attention both in the wider cultural context and in specialist literature.
Following the film, a discussion with the audience was led by the film’s director, Howard Reich, and others including Prof. MUDr. Hana Papežová, CSc. Mgr. Helena Klímová, MUDr. Dana Janotová, and curator at the Jewish Museum in Prague Michaela Sidenberg. ESLI’s director, Lukáš Přibyl, also spoke about his experience in shooting documentary films about Holocaust survivors and pointed out the ethical aspects of working with survivors.
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