Life is Impossible Without Music

On the cold train tracks to Auschwitz, eleven-year-old Simon Gronowski jumps into the unknown – the only path that leads to life. His mother, who gently pushed him off the train, and his sister Ita remain behind, in a silence that will be filled with music years later. Today, as a 94-year-old doctor of law, lawyer and amateur jazz pianist, Simon shares the stage with Kost Jakić, a young Belgian classical pianist of Yugoslavian descent who explores the role of music in extreme and inhuman circumstances.

Their hands on the piano tell two stories: one about survival, the other about listening. Their chords bring together eras, languages and memories, forming a film about how music, when words fail, becomes the only way to talk about life. The film is dedicated to the memory of the crimes of the Second World War, as well as to future memories of the current suffering in Gaza.

Photo: © Ivan Put