Euthanasia in the Film Spiegelgrund by Angelika Schuster and Tristan Sindelgruber

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The Movie “Spiegelgrund“ by Angelika Schuster and Tristan Sindelgruber, from 1999, is an Austrian Documentary Film that shows the Euthanasia program in the third Reich, in Germany, Austria and especially in Vienna during the dictatorship of the Nazis. “Spiegelgrund” shows a unvarnished look at the handling of Austria`s history. During the movie the viewer gets to know four different persons, reporting about their own experience during euthanasia from the position of victims or family members of them. This four people alone, are enough to make the viewer empathize with their different traumatic feelings, emotions and actions they did to challenge the atrocities. They all have the same line, they create feelings of consternation, pity and sorrow in the viewer`s mind. In the beginning the medical institution “Am Spiegelgrund” is shown, which is specialized for handicapped, invalid children which have bad genes in the opinions of the psychiatrists. They were lodged in the clinic and treated by the education- and euthanasia programs, just because they are different as normal children and do not fit in the nazis perception. Furthermore also children from many other institution were brought to Vienna by telling the parents of the children they are going to get better in Vienna, not knowing that they would never see their child again. They were taken to be tormented by the euthanasia programs. Any child that became weak or was near death was taken away and given a lethal injection of “luminal”. According to the relatives, for example such as the woman whose sister Irma were treated in Vienna, reports that Irma was a vigorous child and even musically gifted. Children were just been set out into unhuman conditions to let them die or by ... ... middle of paper ... ...ich Gross`s crimes that were publicized, still a lot of support from the government, the political parties and the scientific community was present. It also offers a plausible explanation why Gross was never condemned and was never arrested for his crimes. Even though it is still impossible to put it into words or understand the crimes that professors and psychiatrist have committed. In my opinion it is more impressing to get people know about this atrocities with the help of such movies than just reading books and articles about it. Therefore as a result I would highly recommend this movie because of the personal sentimental experiences of the victims that are shown very impressive and therefore letting us better empathize with this touchy subject. Moreover it shows in a barnstorming way the huge capabilities of the Nazi socialist party, which were irresistible.

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