The Diaries of an Elephant

Janina Pigaht knew her grandfather as a loving man. She has vivid memories of them singing German songs and reading stories together. After he passed away eight years ago, she started reading old diaries and searching through his belongings, looking for stories to keep his memory alive. But then she discovered a shocking truth: her grandfather was a loyal member of the SS during the Second World War. Using his diaries as a guide, she travels to the places he visited during the war and asks her family all the questions that no one else ever asked. The film shows what happens to family relationships when a part of the past is kept quiet, and how people interpret history in their own way. Pigaht struggles with the awareness that she will be putting her grandfather in a negative light by digging up the past, and she asks herself what purpose her film serves. But she carries on regardless, because of her strong need to break the silence and address the proverbial elephant in the room.