Filmmaker Beth Lane takes her audience on a journey that her family endured, mainly during World War II, and how they survived the war and the Holocaust. Beth, who is an American Jewish woman, comes from a Jewish family who lived in Berlin, Germany and survived the turbulent time during the Nazi regime. They managed to escape Europe to start a new life in America. The story itself is compelling, and Lane shares her family’s story through this remarkable documentary that follows her as she discovers her family’s origins.

This story is best discovered and experienced through this film, so I won’t delve into too many details. This documentary is a testament to the sheer will to survive and the wonderful people who were willing to oppose the powers that be to make this happen. Beth Lane’s mother, Bela, is the youngest of a family of Jewish people, and it is incredible to hear and experience their story recreated through this well-made documentary. Through the miracles of chance and the help of genuinely good people, Lane’s mother and her aunts, uncles, and grandfather manage to live through the Holocaust, World War II, and the various challenges it took for them to arrive and thrive in the USA.

This documentary is obviously a very personal film for Beth Lane, and the emotions associated with this true story are all too prevalent. Lane and her crew do a good job of retelling these experiences through interviews with the actual people and through recreations portrayed by simple animation. It is wonderful to hear the survivors retell their experiences, though reliving these experiences is somewhat traumatic.

UnBroken is a riveting and emotionally powerful film. This lovely documentary is now available to stream on Netflix.