THIS ORDINARY THING- SYNOPSISHaunting and unforgettable, THIS ORDINARY THING tells the story of non-Jews who helped save Jewish people across Europe during The Holocaust. The film combines never-before-seen archival footage with the testimonies of over forty different people who, working independently and at great risk to themselves and their families, saved thousands of Jewish strangers from almost certain death. Narrated by an all-star cast, the film is a timely reminder of the pockets of goodness that can rise in a sea of evil: everyday people helping others who were “different" from them. Notably, none of the people featured in the film thought of themselves as heroes. And yet the film, with immense contemporary resonance, causes each of us to ask ourselves “What would I have done?” The film employs some of the world’s greatest actors, performing excerpts translated from the original transcripts. The cast, including Helen Mirren, F. Murray Abraham, Carrie Coon, Jeremy Irons, Ellen Burstyn, and Stephen Fry, have amassed five Oscars (and over twenty nominations), over sixty Emmy nominations, and over twenty-five Tony nominations in their illustrious careers.THIS ORDINARY THING- DIRECTOR STATEMENTNo film has ever changed me nearly the way this one has. To be honest, I never wanted to make it. I never wanted to make a Holocaust film. I never even wanted people to know I was Jewish. But now all that has changed. Here’s how it happened: one day in the Spring of 2022, a wonderful man I’d worked with in the past, Albert M. Tapper, called me and said what all filmmakers dream of hearing: “Do you have any films that need funding?” I didn’t - but said yes, then quickly drew up a list of seven possible projects and went to lunch with him. As we sat down and made small talk, before we could even get to my list, Al and I stumbled across a funny coincidence: we both knew about an organization called The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, that honored and supported non - Jewish people who had helped Jewish families during the Holocaust.Al’s face lit up -- as a staunch defender of the Jewish faith, he wanted to make a film that would honor and thank those people who had helped Jews during World War 2. As a non - practicing Jew in his mid - 50s, who had grown up delighting in the fact that because of my surname, no one would ever know I was Jewish, I knew it was too late. Given the state of the world, could I really afford NOT to make a film that honored people who tried to point out the essential sameness of all humans? By the end of the meal, the die was cast. In my researching, I soon found a treasure trove of interviews that had been conducted with the people who would become the subjects of the film – who are often called ‘The Righteous’ or ‘The Righteous among Nation s. ’ I had heard of Oskar Schindler, of course, but I had been totally unaware that there were more than 20,000 people who had been honored at Yad Vahsem in Jerusalem. These were all people who, working independently, at great risk to themselves and their families, saved thousands from almost certain death. The interviews I read were amazing and wildly varied – people from all walks of life, every part of Europe – these astonishing pockets of goodness in a sea of evil. And I realized what the film would be: celebrated actors reading from these remarkable transcripts, from people helping those who were "different" from them, with real archival footage from the time. I wanted to bring this all to life as best as I possibly could, telling the stories of these incredible people. Of course, none of the subjects of the film thought of themselves as heroes. Years later, many of them were inscribed on 'The Avenue of the Righteous' in Yad Vashem in Israel, given awards, and had trees planted in their honor. These stories remind us of In the end, what does it even mean to be “different”? -Nick Davis, November 2025

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related