Misha and the Wolves: an incredible survival story that was too good to be true – The Guardian
Posted By admin on August 13, 2021
At the Temple Beth Torah in Holliston, Massachusetts, congregant Misha Defonseca bared her soul on Holocaust Remembrance Day in 1989, or perhaps 1990. As is the case with most aspects of the episode shed set in motion on that January morning, the particulars are murky.
She spun an extraordinary yarn recounting her childhood years, from fleeing her home in Belgium after the Nazis apprehended her resistance-fighter parents, to a grueling odyssey on foot across occupied Europe, to an interlude living feral under the tutelage of a wild wolfpack. Her life story had all the tragedy and triumph of a film or a novel or, as fellow Beth Torah congregant and publisher Jane Daniel would soon persuade her, a memoir. Misha: a Mmoire of the Holocaust Years was a runaway success, complete with a co-sign from Oprah, a French film adaptation and a prospective adaptation deal with Disney.
But as suspicions over veracity arose and nudged her words from incredible to not-credible, everything would soon come undone in swift and embarrassing fashion, leading to years of legal battles and millions in fines.
Sam Hobkinson, director of the new Netflix documentary Misha and the Wolves, was instantly intrigued by Defonsecas tale and the layers of meta-narrative surrounding it, like a gobstopper of deception. Six years ago, I came across this whole affair in a small article in a British newspaper, Hobkinson told the Guardian from his home in London. It was about the ongoing court case in Massachusetts, into the tail end of this whole thing, and this struck me as fascinating, insofar as it was a look into how and why we believe things we are told to be true. It took the shape of a documentary about storytelling itself, in a way.
And in the age of fake news, when truth is a slippery concept, this would be particularly fitting. I researched more and more into the background of this trial and couldnt believe the story Id happened upon.
While dissecting that paradoxical phenomenon of believing the unbelievable, his film doubles as tense reportage tracing the trail of the genealogists and other self-appointed quasi-detectives as they sniff out the facts. He reveals critical facts at the same pace that they were uncovered at the time, leaning into the natural suspense that Misha could only invent. I wanted to approach this like a thriller director, and for the audience to experience this story as its participants would have, Hobkinson says. People went into this blind and unknowing, the friends of Misha and the publishers, and they had a gut-wrenching revelation as the story unfolded. I wanted to tell it so that the audience could share in that.
Though playing his cards close to the vest charged up the excitement of what he calls a past-tense story, Hobkinson also recognises that withholding information can be delicate business. He was wary of crossing the line that separates savvy narrative construction from cheap rigging of the game. The director explains that this ethical quandary was in the forefront of our minds all along.
We had this idea of folding in untruths to the telling of the story, he says. We wanted the film-making to reflect that artifice, and we sought out devices that could assist in that. But in simple terms, for documentary film-making, the viewer needs to leave the cinema or finish streaming the series, whatever youre doing armed with all the information there is to know. Along the way, to make the telling more interesting and representative of this storys themes, I think its fair game to hold things back and misdirect the audience. As long as youve delivered everything you know on the subject once all is said and done.
He does just that with the assistance of the self-appointed investigators who trawled file cabinets and library shelves for proof of Defonsecas claims or proof of their falsehood. Hobkinson saw the ethically shady Defonseca and her exploitative publisher as flawed, complex characters, leaving the protagonist role to one Evelyne Haendel, a fellow Belgian survivor and hidden child resentful of the idea that someone could turn the components of her own trauma into a lucrative fib. The flinty old woman was at first reluctant to participate in the production and relive events from years earlier, but once she did, she was open and committed in sharing both her recollections and her reflections on them. Now, the film acts as an unwitting tribute to her memory; she died of lung cancer a few months after recording her segments of the film, having shown Hobkinson what journalistic determination looks like.
One of the things that interested me about [this process] was how it addresses the process of documentary-making, he says. You have the publisher, a woman whos discovered what she thinks is an amazing true story that she wants to tell to the world. And to some extent, shes so bent on telling this story for various reasons that she doesnt do the homework she shouldve. I kept thinking, There but for the grace of God go I. When it comes to finding new stories, the experience of this film has taught me to do my due diligence and then some.
He realised that he was handling sensitive material from the outset: the intersection of Holocaust studies and skepticism is hazardous territory. The devastation of the Shoah has attracted an unusual number of hoaxers beyond Defonseca, from Jerzy Kosinskis fabrications in The Painted Bird to Binjamin Wilkomirskis debunked memoir Fragments to a similar exposure of Herman Rosenblats Angel at the Fence. More than simple literary misrepresentation, these incidents give ammunition to Holocaust deniers. You dont take on subject matter like this lightly, Hobkinson says. You have to be conscious of whether you might be fanning the flames of Holocaust denial. There were some financiers who were worried about participating for that reason they felt it was queasy, highlighting the fact that some people fabricate Holocaust stories. Deniers would have us thinking that if we can claim one story to be untrue, how can we believe the rest? We cant push this issue under the rug, best to tackle it head-on. I wanted to wrestle the narrative back from the Holocaust deniers.
That imperative shapes the final scenes of the film, which point not toward the frisson of scandal, but to the question of who can be entrusted with stewardship of history. Defonsecas lies and their fallout illustrate the vital importance of safeguarding the truth, and how easily the appearance of truth can be appropriated, manipulated and abused. For the dwindling number of Holocaust survivors, nothing could be more crucial than the maintenance and preservation of the record. This requires a trust that Hobkinson, along with his audience, learn can be all too easily abused.
As we were going along, I thought a lot about why Holocaust narratives have attracted so many hoaxes, Hobkinson says. I hope this comes through in the film, that the story Misha told was pretty out there. But the context from which she tells it, her own experiences as a young Jewish girl during the Holocaust, make it very difficult to question. The thing that protected her, that made her hard to question, was the place of authority from which she was telling it. Potentially, thats why more Holocaust hoax narratives have slipped through, because its a sort of sacred ground. Far be it from me to question someone sharing these horrible experiences theyve gone through.
Go here to see the original:
Misha and the Wolves: an incredible survival story that was too good to be true - The Guardian
- A Short History of Holocaust Denial in the United States | ADL - November 20th, 2023
- Defining Holocaust Distortion and Denial - United States Department of ... - November 20th, 2023
- Is this Israel supporter rehabilitating the Nazis and justifying holocaust denial? - Vox Political - November 18th, 2023
- Educating students to slow the spread of Holocaust denial - Toronto Star - November 12th, 2023
- Elisha Wiesel, Son of Renowned Holocaust Chronicler, Hears Echoes of Horrible Past in Todays Terror Denial - National Review - November 6th, 2023
- Hamas carried out atrocities forgetting that is a cousin of Holocaust denial - Evening Standard - October 25th, 2023
- Holocaust denial becomes illegal in the Netherlands - CNE.news - July 24th, 2023
- Holocaust denial to become a specific crime in the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl - July 18th, 2023
- Holocaust Denial | The First Amendment Encyclopedia - July 14th, 2023
- David Irving - Wikipedia - July 14th, 2023
- Actress Roseanne Barr Stirs Up A Storm With Sarcastic Use Of Holocaust Denial - I24NEWS - i24NEWS - June 29th, 2023
- Addressing Armenian Genocide denial within Holocaust education programs - Armenian Weekly - June 29th, 2023
- Holocaust Deniers: Who They Are And Why They Believe - All That's ... - May 5th, 2023
- The World Is Full of Holocaust Deniers - The Atlantic - March 20th, 2023
- What is Holocaust Denial? - Museum of Tolerance - December 29th, 2022
- What is antisemitism? | IHRA - Working Definition of Antisemitism - November 6th, 2022
- Denialism - Wikipedia - October 19th, 2022
- Jean-Marie Le Pen - Wikipedia - October 15th, 2022
- Echo chambers, rabbit holes, and ideological bias: How YouTube recommends content to real users - Brookings Institution - October 15th, 2022
- One year after pledging to promote Holocaust remembrance and combat antisemitism at the Malm International Forum, the Government of Canada remains... - October 15th, 2022
- A conversation with Holocaust scholar Dr. Irving Berkowitz - South Florida Sun Sentinel - October 15th, 2022
- In call with Israeli PM, Scholz condemns Holocaust denial - August 25th, 2022
- B.o.B. Addresses Claims Of Promoting Anti-Semetism And Holocaust Denial - HotNewHipHop - August 25th, 2022
- He Warned That The Declaration Of Holocaust Denial By Chavista Businessman Esteban Trapiello Is A "hate Crime". - Nation World News - August 25th, 2022
- Belief in Conspiracy Theories Is Probably Not Getting Worse Over Time - Office for Science and Society - July 31st, 2022
- Fiber artist confronts the Holocaust in 'Beauty and Terror' series - thejewishchronicle.net - July 19th, 2022
- How Holocaust Denial and Other Bogus Claims Are Poisoning Schools (Opinion) - EdWeek - July 18th, 2022
- 93 and feisty: A Dallas Holocaust survivor will never give up on her mission to educate - WFAA.com - July 18th, 2022
- Facebook reverses stance on Holocaust denial, will ban it now - July 14th, 2022
- Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General | UN Press - press.un.org - July 14th, 2022
- Criminalizing holocaust denial in Canada will protect democracy and free speech - The Conversation - July 10th, 2022
- Vivek Agnihotris Team Accuses The Wire of Soft Genocide Denial'; The Wire Responds - The Wire - July 10th, 2022
- Fighting Hate: A look inside the new St. Louis Holocaust Museum - KSDK.com - July 10th, 2022
- Denying Holocaust Denial | National Vanguard - June 23rd, 2022
- Israel Elected to Lead International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2025 - Algemeiner - June 23rd, 2022
- Denying Holocaust Denial, by Thomas Dalton - The Unz Review - June 10th, 2022
- MARCEAU: Holocaust denial should be outlawed in Canada - June 10th, 2022
- Evidence and documentation for the Holocaust - Wikipedia - June 4th, 2022
- Can You Hear Me? Speech and Power in the Global Digital Town Square - Council on Foreign Relations - June 2nd, 2022
- Shoes can be a method of escape, and a tool for taking action - The Fulcrum - May 12th, 2022
- How a Holocaust Survivor Finally Learned Her Own Birth Name | Time - TIME - May 6th, 2022
- What Changes Are Coming to the Transatlantic Digital Landscape? - German Marshall Fund - May 6th, 2022
- What to expect from a Musk-owned Twitter? - Al Jazeera English - May 6th, 2022
- What Do Twitter's Users Actually Want? - The Atlantic - May 6th, 2022
- Russia Is Not the First to Blame Jews for Their Own Holocaust - The Atlantic - May 6th, 2022
- It's a mistake to ban Holocaust denial - The Boston Globe - April 27th, 2022
- A Proclamation on Days Of Remembrance Of Victims Of The Holocaust, 2022 - The White House - April 27th, 2022
- Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the Museum of Jewish Heritage's Annual Gathering of Remembrance - United States Mission to the United... - April 27th, 2022
- Comedy is a powerful recruitment tool: how the US rightwing use laughs for vast influence - The Guardian - April 27th, 2022
- Op-Ed: Will Twitter survive Elon Musk? - Los Angeles Times - April 27th, 2022
- 'Rolling Thunder' organizer pledges peaceful demonstration but won't speak to controversial guest - CTV News Ottawa - April 27th, 2022
- Survivor Olga Kay passes Holocaust education torch to youth to keep fighting denial - The Times of Israel - April 27th, 2022
- The Ups and Downs of Remote Work in New York - The New York Times - April 13th, 2022
- UN General Assembly approves resolution condemning ... - April 6th, 2022
- Northeastern Launches Into Busy Event Season - Northeastern University - April 6th, 2022
- Against Backdrop of Ukraine Crisis and Continuing Antisemitic Hate Crimes, Senator Anna Kaplan Brings Simon Wiesenthal Center's Renowned "Courage... - March 27th, 2022
- Ukraine, Racism, and the Wars We Ignore - Puck - March 18th, 2022
- Whoever is Labour leader has my sympathy: Ed Miliband on Starmer, the climate crisis and mislaying the Ed Stone - The Guardian - March 18th, 2022
- UN General Assembly adopts German-Israeli proposal against ... - March 8th, 2022
- Book bans have no place in the Flathead Daily Montanan - Daily Montanan - March 5th, 2022
- Commentary: Putin is a prisoner of his own delusions about Ukraine. They will be his undoing - Yakima Herald-Republic - March 5th, 2022
- The Twitches That Spread on Social Media - The Atlantic - March 2nd, 2022
- Impact of teaching the Holocaust and genocide studies in the classroom - WAOW - February 28th, 2022
- Florida House bill could erase years of progress on race and gender, advocates say | TheHill - The Hill - February 15th, 2022
- Whats Really at Stake in Americas History Wars? - The Wall Street Journal - February 11th, 2022
- Abbie Richards fights TikTok disinformation with a cup of tea, a conspiracy chart and a punchline - wgbh.org - February 11th, 2022
- Holocaust denial and distortion must stop - US Embassy in Georgia - January 30th, 2022
- To Combat Holocaust Denial And Online Hate, Congress Should Set Its Sights On San Francisco-Based Internet Archive - Middle East Media Research... - January 30th, 2022
- Holocaust Denial: Key Dates | Holocaust Encyclopedia - January 22nd, 2022
- UN adopts Israeli resolution to combat Holocaust denial - January 22nd, 2022
- UN approves resolution condemning denial of Nazi Holocaust ... - January 22nd, 2022
- U.N. Approves Israeli Measure to Condemn Holocaust Denial - The New York Times - January 22nd, 2022
- Hundreds of Biden Nominees Are Unconfirmed Amid G.O.P. Blockade - The New York Times - January 11th, 2022
- ADL: Holocaust denial still prevalent on Facebook, despite ... - December 14th, 2021
- Denial (2016 film) - Wikipedia - December 14th, 2021
- Holocaust Denial On Trial: The Real Story Of Irving V ... - December 14th, 2021
- Misha and the Wolves Director Sam Hobkinson on the Challenges of Making a Documentary About Fiction - Hollywood Reporter - December 14th, 2021
- Antisemitism, racism and white supremacist material in podcasts on Spotify, investigation finds - Sky News - December 9th, 2021
- It became crystal clear they were lying: the man who made Germans admit complicity in the Holocaust - The Guardian - December 9th, 2021
- The Way to Stop Bad Holocaust Analogies Is Through Education | Opinion - Newsweek - November 18th, 2021
Comments