The Windermere Children (2020)

Thousands of Jewish minors were relocated to England after the liberation of concentration camps. About 300 were taken to the Windermere Estate, which was set up kind of like a boarding school, to help integrate them into British culture. They were taught English and customs while staff also worked hard to convey the fact that they were no longer in any real danger.

The movie conveys just how difficult the transition was for the kids. The trauma was, of course, deep. Most of them were their family's sole survivor and they were being taught to forget the old and remake themselves from the ground up. The message was strong and affecting, but the film felt watered-down like a made-for-television movie. It's more that I inferred how difficult it was rather than being effectively shown it.

B-