Swimming in Auschwitz

Seen today, Auschwitz looks peaceful and harmless, but for several years during WWII this former Polish army barracks was turned into a living hell. Jon Kean's Swimming in Auschwitz interviews six Jewish female survivors of the death camp, women from different backgrounds and countries whose mostly cozy, middle class lives were brutally interrupted when Nazi forces invaded their eastern European countries. The women recall the drumbeat of rumors and steadily increasing restrictions, followed by the wrenching separations from family and community as they describe the terror of being transported to an unknown fate in filthy, overcrowded cattle cars to Auschwitz. Stripped before guards, these shy, conservative religious women embarked on daily camp life marked by fights over food, exhausting work details, and constant uncertainty, as they witnessed disappearances, gruesome burial details, and the continual smoke belching from the crematorium. The final months of the war brought new horrors in the form of forced death marches out of Auschwitz toward Germany, and the women's troubles didn't necessarily end with their liberation by the Russians. However, survival was made possible by luck, small acts of kindness, and the ability to preserve sanity and a small sense of humor. The title refers to a swimming pool in Auschwitz that one of the women spontaneously swam the length of one day—surprisingly, she wasn't punished. DVD extras include an audio commentary by Kean, extended interviews, and additional views of modern-day Auschwitz. Featuring graphic footage, this disturbing yet also inspiring documentary is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)