Children of Yesterday

The brothers Günther and Heinz Barisch don’t often share the same opinion. But when It comes to their former homeland the eyes of both are glistening. The town Zülz is now called Biała and belongs to Poland since the end of World War II. But for the brothers it has remained the small German Upper Silesian village which they had to leave around 75 years ago. Film maker Michael Kalb and Timian Hopf accompany them on a journey to the past and visits the places of their childhood. But what will happen if the people and their memories die? Besides the Barisch Bros. film maker Kalb interviewed 35 contemporary witnesses who still can tell about the time between 1930 and 1950. Like a mosaic of memories “Children Of Yesterday” makes the daily life, the cruelty and contradictions of the “Third Reich” as well as the chaos after the end of war tangible. Thereby the documentary draws parallels between the stories of the witnesses to our present time. Without pointing out concrete happenings we will see that those stories of the past are more relevant than ever.