Joe's Violin

This Oscar-nominated documentary short tells a wonderful story about building a bridge between worlds that could not be more different. The “Joe” of the title is Joseph Feingold, a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor who endured six-and-a-half years in a Siberian labor camp and, later in a displacement camp following World War II, traded a carton of cigarettes for a violin. Playing it, he says to filmmaker Kahane Cooperman, helped soothe him after the long trauma and reminded him of the home that he had lost. Immigrating to the U.S., Feingold held on to his violin, donating it almost 60 years later to a school for girls in the Bronx, where 12-year-old Brianna Perez, reeling from the divorce of her parents, is chosen to receive the instrument due to the emotion with which she plays. The parallel tales of Joe's history, the school's, and Brianna's finally merge when Feingold meets her and she plays for him. After an initial awkwardness dissipates, the emerging bond between the two speaks volumes about the ways that very distinct individuals can connect, and perhaps help each other heal. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (T. Keogh)