Aida's Secrets

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2:22

Aida's Secrets

2017

1h 30m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In 1945, Izak was born inside the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp and sent for adoption in Israel. Secret details of his birth mother, an unknown brother in Canada and his father's true identity slowly emerge in this investigative, biographical film. The plight of displaced persons comes to the fore when Izak and Shep -- the almost 70-year-old brothers -- finally meet in Canada, then head to a nursing home in Quebec to introduce Shep to his elderly mother, Aida, for the first time.

David Lewis

San Francisco Chronicle

12/14/2017

3/4

The camerawork and editing often leave something to be desired. Most of the time, this doesn't matter, because we are drawn into the mystery.

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Bill Goodykoontz

Arizona Republic

11/30/2017

4/5

"Aida's Secrets" starts out as a fairly straightforward documentary about reuniting two long-separated brothers, but directors Alon and Shaul Schwarz don't stop there.

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Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

10/26/2017

One family's silences and lies unravel before our eyes in the gripping, intimate "Aida's Secrets."

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Steven Prokopy

Third Coast Review

05/27/2020

Aida's Secrets offers shocking moments, disappointment, and fulfillment while still finding ways to deepen the mystery of this fragile, elderly woman who lived a life that was both extraordinary and probably quite common in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

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Alison Gillmor

Winnipeg Free Press

03/29/2018

4/5

Aida's Secrets is not an incredibly artful doc...But the straight-ahead observation of this specific human story is powerfully emotional and affecting, particularly in the way it tracks the brothers' newfound relationship.

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Chris Knight

National Post

01/12/2018

Co-directors (and extended family members) Alon and Saul Schwarz use clever editing to parse out the genealogical twists and turns in the story, although a final-act surprise is left hanging.

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06/15/2020

Beautiful and touching documentary! There is so much known about the suffering during WWII, but so little of what happened after the war. People are still suffering 75 years after the war as a result of the Nazi horrors. I hope Aida found some peace before she past away.

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DD M

@TheDocDM 06/04/2020

The most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Touched my heart.

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11/03/2017

Very intriguing and moving story about love, loss and secrets.

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11/01/2017

Very well-made documentary about the survival and even triumphs of mere mortals in the wake of WWII and the holocaust, told through the unraveling secrets of one mother and her sons.

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10/24/2017

Worthwhile. In the aftermath of a horrific war, one parts with her babies.

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10/24/2017

Just great. Don't want to give anything away. Go see it.

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Alon Schwarz

Director

Shaul Schwarz

Director

Halil Efrat

Writer

Alon Schwarz

Writer

Alon Schwarz

Producer

Gudrun Hanke-El Ghomri

Executive Producer

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Aida's Secrets: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In 1945, Izak was born inside the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp and sent for adoption in Israel. Secret details of his birth mother, an unknown brother in Canada and his father's true identity slowly emerge in this investigative, biographical film. The plight of displaced persons comes to the fore when Izak and Shep -- the almost 70-year-old brothers -- finally meet in Canada, then head to a nursing home in Quebec to introduce Shep to his elderly mother, Aida, for the first time.

Director: Alon Schwarz, Shaul Schwarz
Producer: Alon Schwarz
Screenwriter: Halil Efrat, Alon Schwarz
Distributor: Music Box Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 20, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 16, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $91.3K
Runtime: 1h 30m

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