SOMETHING STRONG WITHIN (1995)

SYNOPSIS

SOMETHING STRONG WITHIN is an experimental documentary that reflects the determination and strength of the human spirit to survive what has come to be known as "America's concentration camps" of World War II. Through never-before-seen film footage shot by inmates themselves, this view from within depicts the struggle of 120,000 souls to overcome betrayal and hardship to reconstruct a community behind barbed wire.

REVIEWS

"There is such beauty and power in this film. Each viewing reveals layers and layers of new insights. There are no scripted scenes of misery. These are home movies. Yet unlike home movies taken under normal circumstances, there is an underlying poignancy that transcends the innocent, naive faces on the screen. " -- Joy A. Yamauchi, TOZAI TIMES, December 1994

"Something Strong Within can be fully appreciated by diverse audiences solely on the basis of its original treatment of subject matter - an emotionally moving and intellectually provocative presentation of life in the camps. At the same time the film poses a wide range of conceptual and theoretical questions of interest to anyone concerned with the use of moving image materials for purposes of historical narrative." - Robert Rosen on "'Something Strong Within & Historical Memory"