Foute Erfenis

• Date:
• Location: Theater en Fillmhuis Dakota

Please note: this is a Dutch-spoken film.

In Foute Erfenis, the story is told by and of the grandchildren of people who were members of the NSB or SS during the Second World War. A number of these grandchildren suffer from what is called 'inter- (or trans-)generational trauma'; experiencing trauma under the influence of choices and events experienced by a previous generation. Psychotherapist Joke van Bokkem, who works at the ARQ National Psychotrauma Center, explains how this arises and what people can do to break free from it. Grandchildren Tanja, Xander, Bettina, Michael, and an anonymous source recount the actions of their grandparents. They committed treason, actively hunted down Jews and communists, and caused death and destruction in the name of the occupier. Feelings of shame and, for some, the urge to serve society as retribution for what their grandparents did, are common denominators among the grandchildren. Additional transmitted trauma often stems from the internment of NSB members shortly after the war. Because no one knew what to do with the children of NSB members, they were locked up along with them and often treated badly or even abused. It is this generation that is raising our interviewees. An upbringing centered on keeping up appearances, and above all, an upbringing centered on silence. Silence, and the camouflaging of a ‘tainted inheritance’.

Show on map