No Place on Earth ***½ (PG-13) For yet another example of human costs suffered during WW II, this docudrama informs us about a few dozen Ukrainian Jews from one village who survived for nearly two years in nearby caves during the German invasion and occupation, having to hide from local authorities, including former friends and neighbors, as well as from the Nazis.
Their story unfolds in several overlapping ways. It begins with a spelunker in 1993 who stumbled across evidence of their time underground while simply exploring the region’s extensive caverns for geological reasons. We also hear directly from several survivors, and watch re-creations of many moments and aspects of their ordeal, helping us feel at least a fraction of what they did.
The accounts of hardship, deprivation, internal conflicts and development of coping skills are simultaneously heartbreaking and inspirational. Typical villagers, including small children managed to overcome enormous threats and endure unspeakable conditions, with no way to know if or when the tide of war would turn to make it safe for them on the surface. Since genocide still occurs in many places around the globe today, their saga isn’t just a matter of academic interest. Others are living in similar states of peril, with no greater idea of, or hope for, an end to their plight. Reminders of such horrible events in our recent history may someday help our species relegate them to the past. (4/26/13)