Austrians and Austria in Ruth Beckermann's 'Jenseits des Krieges', the film and the book

Ruth Beckermann's documentary film, occasioned by the controversial exhibition Vernichtungskrieg - Verbrechen der Wehrmacht 1941-1944, shows Austrians at a historical moment when the wall of substitute memory cracks open and reveals what goes on in the minds of average men who were soldiers and officers in Hitler's army. Throughout postwar history the involvement or non-involvement of the Wehrmacht had been a hotly debated issue, not only because it concerned the integrity of the majority of Germans and Austrians, but also because concrete monetary issues were involved such as veterans "and survivors" benefits and employability in the postwar republics. Beckermann's perspective is that of an outsider looking in - she tries to understand the mentality of the men she interviews and to come to terms with their view of the world.