Een leger van gehouwen steen

Mourning nations deal with dark periods in their history in different ways. In this documentary, for example, we see select images of sculptures from all over Holland, accompanied by poems about the blackest time in Dutch history – World War II. The footage of these monuments to war and resistance has been edited to dramatic effect. The sculptures tell stories of war, oppression, treason, transition and liberation. Ways of individual expression, but also ways of keeping the collective memory alive. To make people remember. The filmmaker provides an atmospheric impression of Dutch sculpture in its own environment, and tells contextual stories. The film’s title comes from Muus Jacobse’s poem 5 mei 1940. Een leger van gehouwen steen, looking out over the countryside, reminds us that what has happened in the past should never be allowed to happen again. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)