Heimat (DVD)

A living timeline branching across 64 years of German history commencing with the first world war, this compelling 9-hour chronicle immerses viewers in the lives and lineage of small-town family the Simons like a steadily unfolding novel. Avoiding the tendency towards a simplified,

good vs. evil

account of history, Heimat, roughly translated as

homeland,

captures the coexistence of ordinary Germans in times of profound atrocities and radical socio-political transformation. The film`s confrontational view of Germany`s past has prompted introspection from audiences around the world, and the acknowledgement of past crimes against humanity as a shared scar that touches all of human history.