Ruben Dirkzwager

BELLUM is a film about how war trauma still grips the lives of three generations today. In a hiding room created for this film, we see a Jewish family breaking the silence by finally starting a conversation about suppressing and passing on war trauma. We examine how trauma is passed on from parent to child. Are later generations able to break free from a traumatic experience that they have not experienced themselves?

After growing up in a closed youth care facility, Samuel is brought to a private care farm where the care taker has a more warm and personal approach.