The Lesson

At age 14, every child attending school in Germany is brought face to face with the nation’s past. For many, this means confronting the reality of the Holocaust for the very first time. The Lesson explores how new generations in Germany grapple with this tragic history, following a group of children coming of age in the town of Fröndenberg. Director Elena Horn traces the educational journey of four students over the course of five years. From the first uneasy discussions in the classroom, to an emotional visit to the nearby Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the students are introduced to the atrocities committed in their own community. The experiences of these children highlight the fractured and disparate memory of Nazism in Germany, and brings a timely call for better education on the topic. The film also sheds light on the powerful truth that “Mitlaufer” or “bystanders” enabled the rise of Nazism in the 1930s. This haunting societal study exposes how easily far-right movements can grip society, and how the ghosts of Germany’s dark past still linger. The Lesson is timely, essential viewing amidst the resurgence of xenophobia and antisemitism.