Memoirs of number 48632

Anyone who sees Ella Blumenthal smiling would hardly imagine the ordeal she’s faced. Her eyes have witnessed the limits of human brutality, macabre acts that humanity remains ashamed of till this day. Ella Blumenthal is one of the last few remaining survivors of the holocaust.

After suffering unspeakable loss, love led her to South Africa where she nurtured a new family. With the documentary, I am Here, directed by Jordy Sank, the Cape Town icon has shared a painful piece of her story with the world.

Blumenthal, a witness to the Warsaw ghetto uprising, was captive for over five years and treated like an animal. She watched her family and those close to her die, one by one. She smelled the nauseating smell of hell, but still managed to inhale hope. “Baruch Hashem Ani Poh”, which translates to “Thank God I'm here”, are words that have guided this woman who saw her world consumed by the hatred and carnage of men drunk on an evil ideology. One that encouraged the violence and genocide of other human beings.

As history played out, Nazism was eventually overthrown and after a long silence needed to process the horrors, Blumenthal has continued to tell her story. What separates Jordy's documentary about the Holocaust from other similar narratives is the fact that I am Here dwells on the character's life after the trauma.

And at 99 years of age, Ella Blumenthal has lived an enriching life. After surviving the horrors of Auschwitz, she finds love, gets married, raises a family and attempts to file away the sad memories. She also becomes a symbol of hope and on social networks, develops a reputation for encouraging people who contact her.

Ella Blumenthal is above all a survivor. I am Here manages to portray this joyful side to her life. Even as she recalls her most tragic moments, the film holds on to the element of hope. One of the ways it does this is with the deployment of animated illustration used to represent the past visually instead of macabre images or videos. An element not to be ignored also is the blue butterfly, which revives hope. The film’s color palette is cheerful and works as an ode to light.

One of the defining moments of I am Here is Ella's 98th birthday which she celebrates by sharing her story with the people who love her the most. A story of remarkable empathy, I am Here is perhaps proof that the audacity of hope remains very necessary.