The Flat (2012)

A Jewish man living in Tel Aviv begins the task of cleaning out the apartment of his recently deceased grandmother who left Germany ahead of the second World War. During the process, he finds evidence that his grandparents were close friends with a high-ranking Nazi before and after the war. His desire to uncover the whole story fuels this documentary.

It’s sort of interesting, but probably not in the way that the filmmaker intended. I found his presence to be offputting -- much like Werner Herzog’s is to me -- in that he 1) has no personality and 2) says very little that’s insightful. The absorbing bits were watching the immediate descendants of the Nazi couple and the Jewish couple try to cope with what they’re learning despite their lifelong training in disinterest on the subject.

But, even with a story this unique, it still feels very much like flipping through a stranger’s mementos.

C