Watch Children of Internment - German Families In US Camps

Children of Internment - German Families In US Camps is a documentary movie that delves into a less talked about tragedy of the World War II era, the internment of German immigrants and German Americans in United States detention camps. The movie was released in the year 2013, and highlights the lives of innocent German families that were forced into US internment camps, where they were imprisoned for years without any legal justification.

Directed by Heidi Schmidt Emberling, the movie features interviews of actual survivors who recount their experience of being incarcerated as children in detention camps with their families. The movie also weaves in narration of their stories, including accounts of living under military surveillance with restricted freedom of movement and harsh living conditions. The survivors also open up about the emotional and psychological trauma that they suffered to this day.

Through the interviews, the audiences discover how United States government perceived the Germans, portraying them as the potential enemy, and their businesses and assets were seized without any legal justification. The story becomes more poignant when the survivors talk about how their lives were shattered due to their forced elimination from their homeland, Germany.

The heartbreaking scenes depict families being uprooted from their homes and taken away to internment camps despite their loyalty to the United States. The movie also discusses the impact of the internment on the next generation, including discrimination and dislocation.

The movie also brings to light how the German population of the United States was forced to bear the brunt of FDR's executive order, which identified Germans as a 'potentially dangerous population'. This move led to the routine incarceration of approximately 11,000 German immigrants and German Americans.

The movie stands out for its ability to capture the journey of several families who were forced into internment camps, sharing their memories and experiences of living in a hostile environment. The stories they share are both compelling and moving, and the movie does an excellent job of showcasing the emotional and psychological trauma of the people who were imprisoned, highlighting the impact that such detention can have on its subjects many years down the line.

The movie also provides a broader understanding of the importance of protecting the civil rights of every individual and respecting the concept of due process of the law. It makes a compelling argument for why one should never take their fundamental rights for granted, and serves as a reminder about the importance of resisting policies that might be discriminatory or violate basic human rights.

Overall, Children of Internment - German Families In US Camps is a significant and poignant movie that tells the largely underrepresented story of people who faced even greater difficulties than most in the already tumultuous era of World War II. It serves as a reminder that at times the government can use its power to justify discrimination, and it is essential to protect the rights of all individuals, regardless of their ethnicity or birthplace. The movie is a gripping and harrowing reminder of why we should never forget the troubling lessons of history.

Children of Internment - German Families In US Camps is a 2015 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 23 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.8.