Invisibles

The Invisibles is a harrowing documentary that sheds light on a little-known aspect of history — the thousands of Jewish men, women and children who lived in hiding in Berlin even after the Nazis declared the city “free of Jews.” In 1943, there were 7,000 Jewish men, women and children still living in the Nazi capital: hiding in attics, basements, and warehouses, protected by courageous Berliners while desperately trying to avoid deportation. Only 1,700 lived to liberation. The Invisibles tells the stories of four survivors, interweaving their testimony with highly accomplished dramatizations, a unique hybrid approach that brings edge-of-the-seat suspense to their years spent underground. The two men and two women whose stories unfold are well chosen, and their younger selves are sensitively portrayed: Cioma is an art student who uses his drafting skills to forge passports in exchange for food ration cards; Hanni dyes her hair blond and tries to pass as Aryan; teenager Eugen is handed to a succession of sympathetic Communist families; and Ruth must resort to roaming the streets before being taken in by a surprising protector. All of them are invisibles, living on their own illegally and forced to make decisions every day that could mean the difference between life and death. Unlike any other movie before it, The Invisibles is a unique historical testimonial to these individuals and their brave resistance to evil.