Maydeleh and the Prisoner (2017)

Arie Weiss is a child survivor of the Holocaust who, following the war, developed a resilience and strength that allowed him to persevere. Now in his 80's, Arie's mental strength and independence are compromised when he falls ill. Haruka, a Japanese single mother, arrives at the U.S. under mysterious circumstances to earn her wage as Arie's live-in caregiver. She has left her son behind for the betterment of his future. Arie's powerless situation and his fundamental mistrust of Haruka causes repressed memories of the concentration camps to resurface. Despite the nuanced characteristics that might be apparent to someone well-versed in Jewish history, Haruka does not automatically identify Arie as a holocaust survivor and is, therefore, able to see through his burdensome title. As they struggle to understand one another, their story provides an insight into the compassion and empathy that can develop between two strangers; one from a strong Jewish heritage, and the other a homogeneous Japanese culture. Given the generations that separate them, Arie and Haruka's relationship addresses the difficult tasks of both sharing and asking questions about painful memories and the way in which they learn and grow from one another.