A mother's hidden identity comes to light in new documentary.
Journalist Marisa Fox has spent years uncovering the truth about her own mother's past, a story that turned out to be more dramatic and troubling than she had ever imagined. Her journey began when Fox was just nine years old and started questioning certain parts of her mother's war-time stories. Despite her best efforts to get answers from her mother, Fox was met with resistance and eventually left feeling baffled.
It wasn't until 2010 that Fox finally received a glimmer of the truth, thanks to an elderly great-aunt who was suffering from dementia at the time. Her words - "Your mother had a hidden identity" - sparked a mission for Fox to uncover her mother's true story and share it with the world.
The result is My Underground Mother, a documentary that explores the complex and troubled life of Fox's mother during World War II. The film reveals a young woman who was sent to a forced labor camp in Poland as a teenager, where she endured unimaginable hardships and trauma. Her experiences there were marked by both cruelty and resilience, as she became embroiled with a radical Jewish underground group and carried out acts of sabotage against the British army.
But Fox's mother never spoke about her time at the camp, even to her husband or children. It was only when Fox began tracking down women who had been imprisoned alongside her mother that the truth started to emerge. The women shared their own harrowing experiences of life in Gabersdorf, including forced labor, rape and exploitation by Nazi soldiers.
As Fox delved deeper into her mother's past, she discovered a complex web of secrets and lies that had been hidden for decades. Her mother had not only lied about her age and name but also fabricated stories about her role in the war, even to her own family.
The film raises questions about why her mother felt the need to conceal so much of her history, including the trauma she experienced during the war. Fox speculates that there were layers of shame involved, related to surviving the camp, experiencing abuse and discovering a hidden identity as a love child.
For Fox, the decision to share her mother's story is both personal and therapeutic. She hopes that by revealing the truth, women who have survived similar horrors during war will no longer feel guilty about their experiences. "Shame needs to change sides," she says. "The shame doesn't belong to the women. It belongs to the men who did this to them."
My Underground Mother premieres at the New York Jewish film festival on January 19 and 20, before a wider release later this year.
Journalist Marisa Fox has spent years uncovering the truth about her own mother's past, a story that turned out to be more dramatic and troubling than she had ever imagined. Her journey began when Fox was just nine years old and started questioning certain parts of her mother's war-time stories. Despite her best efforts to get answers from her mother, Fox was met with resistance and eventually left feeling baffled.
It wasn't until 2010 that Fox finally received a glimmer of the truth, thanks to an elderly great-aunt who was suffering from dementia at the time. Her words - "Your mother had a hidden identity" - sparked a mission for Fox to uncover her mother's true story and share it with the world.
The result is My Underground Mother, a documentary that explores the complex and troubled life of Fox's mother during World War II. The film reveals a young woman who was sent to a forced labor camp in Poland as a teenager, where she endured unimaginable hardships and trauma. Her experiences there were marked by both cruelty and resilience, as she became embroiled with a radical Jewish underground group and carried out acts of sabotage against the British army.
But Fox's mother never spoke about her time at the camp, even to her husband or children. It was only when Fox began tracking down women who had been imprisoned alongside her mother that the truth started to emerge. The women shared their own harrowing experiences of life in Gabersdorf, including forced labor, rape and exploitation by Nazi soldiers.
As Fox delved deeper into her mother's past, she discovered a complex web of secrets and lies that had been hidden for decades. Her mother had not only lied about her age and name but also fabricated stories about her role in the war, even to her own family.
The film raises questions about why her mother felt the need to conceal so much of her history, including the trauma she experienced during the war. Fox speculates that there were layers of shame involved, related to surviving the camp, experiencing abuse and discovering a hidden identity as a love child.
For Fox, the decision to share her mother's story is both personal and therapeutic. She hopes that by revealing the truth, women who have survived similar horrors during war will no longer feel guilty about their experiences. "Shame needs to change sides," she says. "The shame doesn't belong to the women. It belongs to the men who did this to them."
My Underground Mother premieres at the New York Jewish film festival on January 19 and 20, before a wider release later this year.
This doco is really wild. I mean, how could her mom keep all that stuff hidden for so long? Like, was she trying to protect someone or what? 
And the fact that she fabricated stories about being in the war... that's just crazy. What kind of secrets were they hiding from their own family? 
I need to see this doco for myself to understand how her mom felt. Is it a good job that Marisa Fox is sharing this story, though? It could be triggering for some people... sources needed 
just watched this documentary about a mom who had a hidden identity during WWII and it's wild 
I mean, I've heard of women being sent to concentration camps but never knew anyone who was also part of the Jewish underground 
what really got me was how her mom lied about her age and name even to her own family 
like why would someone do that? shame is a heavy burden and it's crazy how it can be passed down through generations 
i feel like shame is such a powerful emotion and it's crazy that women who went through trauma during wwii were expected to keep it hidden 
her mom's story is like something out of a movie but its real life 
. Marisa Fox's journey is crazy, though - 9 years old and already trying to uncover the truth about her mom's stories? Mind blown! 
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. It's like your whole identity is being torn apart, you know? And the fact that she lied about all these things just adds another layer of pain... It's amazing that Marisa is finally able to share her mom's story now, I hope it brings some sense of closure for both of them 
. It's also so important that we're talking about this stuff and trying to break down the shame that women often carry around with them after experiencing trauma during war 
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The film sounds so emotional and thought-provoking - I'm definitely adding it to my watchlist ASAP 
. This documentary is giving me chills and I need to know more about Marisa Fox's mom's story. It's wild that she had to keep her past hidden from her own family for so long... like what kind of secrets can you hide, right? 
. The fact that she became part of a radical Jewish underground group and carried out acts of sabotage against the British army is like, wow... what a strong woman! 
. Can't wait to watch the full documentary and learn more about this incredible true story 
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. It's like they say, "the truth will set you free"... I'm not surprised that her mom kept it all hidden for so long. I mean, can you imagine having to deal with all that trauma and shame? 
I love how the journalist is trying to make sense of it all and maybe even find some closure. It's like my grandma used to say "the past is the past"... but sometimes you gotta confront it head-on 
. This doco is definitely making me think about where we come from and why our family members kept so many secrets 
on a more serious note tho, this doc sounds super heavy-handed and emotional, like fox is trying too hard to convince us of her mom's story 
. But to hear that someone would go to such lengths to hide their true story is crazy 
The fact that her mom never spoke about her time in a forced labor camp is just heartbreaking - I can imagine how hard it must be for Marisa to see the impact of her mom's silence on their family.
My Underground Mother sounds like a really powerful film though - I mean who hasn't heard of the horrors of war at this point?