Germany, Pale Mother

Narrated by Anna, a woman whose parents had endured the hardships of World War II, the film Germany, Pale Mother, directed Helma Sanders-Brahms in 1980 presents the German point of view of the war. The film examines the way Germany and its citizens struggled during and after the war and gives a very confrontational outlook on war and family. As such, Germany, Pale Mother primarily depicts the traumatic post-war experiences of women and children.
The opening sequence of the film reveals Bertolt Brecht’s 1933 poem which serves as an allegorical reflection on Germany under Hitler’s reign. The poem itself presents Lene’s unhappy life as she spirals into depression and loneliness as the war continues. According to Naughton, Germany, Pale Mother "is a film which accentuates the process of historical recovery, treating history not so much as an indisputable, fixed referent, but rather as a site of contestation between the sexes, between generations and communities and between victors and defeated" (Naughton par. 2). World War II brought defeat and trauma to German and after the war, many Germans found it difficult to cope with their nations crimes. Sanders-Brahms sets the characters against the
Personally, this film stood out for me from all the other films in the class as it displays the consequences of war, which is still applicable to modern society. One very interesting aspect of the film is that the conclusion seems to bring little impact to the story. The viewer must take in all that has happened throughout the film to see that the ending is lacking because Lene has already been through so much, which I thought was very interesting. Ultimately, the plot and motifs of the film provided the audience with the point of view of the struggling citizens along with the history of Germany and the troubles the nation went through to find its national