Abstract
Fantasies of Jews returning to Poland after the Holocaust have become a staple of post-Communist Polish cultural expression. Recent Polish films, Aftermath (2012), Ida (2013), and Demon (2015) represent Polish Holocaust memory through Expressionist cinematic techniques, including spectral figures and non-realistic lighting and camera angles. This essay examines how Jewish ghosts excavate suppressed Holocaust knowledge and the resurgence of anti-Semitism, forming a post-Holocaust Polish critical exegesis. These films defy redemptive resolutions to questions about Polish-Jewish historical and ethical relationships during the Holocaust, Polish Holocaust memory, second and third generation Polish survivors, and the absent presence of Poland's slaughtered Jews.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 201-217 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Holocaust Studies |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2021 |
Keywords
- Catholicism
- German expressionism
- Holocaust
- Jews
- Poland
- victimization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- Communication
- History
- Sociology and Political Science