Movie Review: 'Inside Hana's Suitcase' | Movies & TV | Arts ...
Touching tale unites and inspires
Created: April 19, 2012 Last Updated: April 19, 2012
Lara Brady in the documentary 'Inside Hana?s Suitcase,' a film about the Holocaust. (Courtesy Memesha Films)
\>");The Tokyo Holocaust Center might not be as famous as the Simon Wiesenthal Center, but its dedicated director set in motion a global phenomenon of remembrance. When the Auschwitz Museum sent Hana Brady?s confiscated suitcase to Fumiko Ishioka for display, she and her elementary student group were compelled to learn more about the young girl. Their investigation would inspire an international bestseller and Larry Weinstein?s subsequent documentary, Inside Hana?s Suitcase.
Knowing Brady was very close to their age, Ishioka?s students immediately identified her. Frustrated in their attempts to glean information, Ishioka eventually visited Auschwitz. Sadly, she learned that Brady did not survive the war, but her older brother George did. She writes to Brady, now living in Canada, asking for a photo of Hana.
A connection is made between Ishioka?s class and Brady, who eventually comes to Japan to tell them Hana?s story. Much to his surprise, it spreads exponentially from there.
Weinstein mixes a real hodgepodge of documentary techniques, including dramatic re-enactments and one-on-one interviews with his primary figures. Yet his shrewdest decision, by far, is the use of Ishioka?s students and other school children touched by Hana?s story as the film?s primary narrators.
Lara Brady and George Brady in 'Inside Hana?s Suitcase.' (Courtesy Memesha Films)
Given the substantial volume of previously produced Holocaust documentaries, even predisposed audiences may find themselves facing another with some reluctance, accepting it as something important, but not unlike a chore. The students in Suitcase, especially those in Ishioka?s group, are a vital antidote to such responses.
While listening and watching them relate her narrative, it is clear that this is the most significant and profound thing they have ever learned in their young but promising lives.
There is something deeply touching about these students? empathy and earnest sincerity. Both Ishioka and George Brady are genuinely compelling presences, as well. In contrast, though stylishly lensed by cinematographer Horst Zeidler, the dramatizations lack the same emotional heft and ironically take viewers out of the story rather than pulling them in.
Still, to his credit, Weinstein never ignores the complexity of the situation, including a visit to the center from Machiyo Kurokawa, a Hiroshima survivor, who forthrightly acknowledges Japan?s problematic record during World War II.
Truly, just about anyone of good conscience will get choked-up watching George Brady interact with the Ishioka?s group. Indeed, it is the bond they form with him and Hana by extension that is so moving. It is also quite an uplifting example of how a committed teacher and researcher like Ishioka, who comes across as quite a lovely person in multiple respects, can make a positive difference for younger generations.Inside Hana?s Suitcase
Director: Larry Weinstein
Starring: George Brady, Lara Brady, Fumiko Ishioka
Running Time: 90 minutes
In English, Czech, and Japanese, with English subtitles
Joe Bendel writes about independent film and lives in New York. To read his most recent articles please visit http://jbspins.blogspot.com
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In a partnership with National Educators Council, Penn State Erie is taking part in the Financial EduNation Campaign. Starting in April 2012, the college will be providing free personal finance programs to students, parents, educators, and other organizations throughout the state as their part of promoting the campaign. Aimed at teens and young adults, the programs are completed online through a program that features celebrities, business leaders, and sports stars. So far, the school has reached out to more than 25,000 students in middle school through college, but they hope to expand the program during the coming month.
At NYU?s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, there are a number of personal finance courses students can take. While the courses may have been largely ignored in past years, that isn?t the case anymore, as students flock to the office to register for personal finance courses. In fact, the courses were so popular and had so much interest from students outside of professional fields that the school actually added several other sections to their line-up. In addition, the school has been approached by family members of students who want to learn more about how to address their own financial situations, and the school may branch out further in coming years to meet the needs of a community that increasingly wants to build better personal finance skills.
Professor Michael Gordinier has taught a personal finance course at Wash U since 2003, open to any student at the school in their junior or senior year of study. Over the past few years, the course has grown in popularity and has become one of the better-attended and most-requested classes on campus, boasting a class size of almost 200 students, up from just 80 a decade ago. The course is often more full than that, however, as many business students often audit the course (they cannot take it for credit) just to get information. At the end of the semester, many students thank Gordinier for helping them save more or get out of debt, a big payoff for a semester of work. Gordinier thinks all schools should offer similar programs, which are currently pretty uncommon, to students so that they can learn practical skills in money management.
At Champlain College, students don?t get a choice when it comes to taking courses in finance; they?re required. Undergrads at Champlain must attend two sessions on financial literacy during their time at the school, a change that was made because administrators felt too many students were graduating without basic financial skills. The courses cover topics like credit scores, saving, budgeting, retirement, and credit strategies, among others. Students learn fundamentals that will help them get jobs, buy homes, and manage debt. In addition to the required courses, students at Champlain can continue their financial education through courses in student loans and employment benefits. The school hopes to host a financial literacy conference in the coming years.
If you want to take a personal finance course at Drexel University in Philadelphia, you had better get ready to battle for a spot. The last three times the school offered a personal finance course for business students the sections filled up almost immediately, forcing the school to schedule additional sections to meet the demand. While personal finance courses were limited to business majors in the past, the school is working to create additional sections of the course for non-business majors due to its overwhelming popularity. School administrators say they aren?t surprised by the number of students looking for practical, real-world information, especially in an uncertain job market.
Baylor University first launched a personal finance course 15 years ago at the request of parents who wanted their children to emerge from college with some practical skills under their belts. Franklin Potts, the professor teaching the class, now sees hundreds of students each semester. Potts believes that schools put too much emphasis on information that isn?t useful to everyday life, sacrificing lessons in important practical matters. And the course isn?t popular with just liberal arts majors; business school students flock to it as well, as many business courses don?t ever touch on issues like retirement, insurance, or budgeting.
Called Econ 223, you might not realize this class even has anything to do with personal finance at first glance, but it?s helping students at Wellesley learn some pretty fundamental skills. Professors Anne Witte and Saundra Gulley inundate students with the essentials of personal finance, from insurance, to retirement funds, to managing credit. The duo created the course about five years ago when they noticed that students on campus seemed wholly unprepared to manage their own finances, and it remains a popular choice on campus today. Witte says that she believes every student should have to take a class like this one, so that they can learn from things in the classroom rather than making real-world mistakes.
Students at KU now have the option of taking a personal finance course during their time at the school, getting the chance to learn about topics like budgeting, bill paying, renting, retirement, investing, and even buying a home. The course was created in the fall of 2007 at the urging of parents and business school faculty who thought the school sorely needed a more practical financial course for students. Today, about 100 students from different majors and levels are enrolled in the course and it is growing in popularity as students reap the benefits of their newfound financial knowledge.
Georgetown costs students a pretty penny to attend, so it only makes sense that it would offer a course to help students manage their financial lives. After all, they?re going to have some serious loans to pay back. Seniors at the school can take part in a series of financial literacy workshops that cover topics like loan repayment, spending, credit cards, taxes, and employment benefits. In addition to these workshops, the school?s alumni association also takes part in a series called Common $ense, where students can connect with alumni to learn about a variety of financial issues.
