health
Children of the Blitz review
The last survivors of the blitz share their stories to mark 85 years since it ended. It is a hugely moving film that is all too relevant today – but what a privilege it is to witness
TL;DR
- The film revisits the "blitz spirit," suggesting it's a myth often invoked by those who didn't experience the blitz, and that the lived reality was one of deep trauma.
- It emphasizes the blitz as a nationwide experience, not just a London one, with shattering personal reflections from survivors across the UK.
- Survivors recount how they internalised emotions and maintained a "stiff upper lip" to cope with devastation, suggesting the "blitz spirit" may have been a psychological crisis management technique.
- The film draws parallels between the experiences of blitz survivors and modern-day children affected by conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan.
- It acknowledges that similar tactics were used by the Allies, leading to comparable experiences for German civilians, and reflects on the fragility of human life learned from the war.
- The "blitz spirit," as embodied by a survivor mourning his father's death, is ultimately presented as a face of loss and regret, relevant in an increasingly menacing world.