Meet the Hitlers (2014)

Meet the Hitlers: Directed by Matthew Ogens. With Deborah Campbell, Heath Campbell, David Gardner, Hitler Gutierrez. Meet the Hitlers is a feature documentary that examines the relationship between names and identity, by exploring the lives of people who are linked by the name ‘Hitler.’ The film raises important questions about the meaning of names, and explores complex issues like immigration, racism, and tolerance. Yet it’s ultimately a character-driven story, offering an intimate portrait of its subjects, whose reactions to their name span the spectrum of human experience, from tragedy to comedy, and heartbreak to hope.

“u0026quot;Meet the Hitlersu0026quot; is an intriguing idea…to interview various folks who have been named Hitler. However, the execution of the film left me confused and a bit cold. Part of it is because the focus of the picture was so diffuse. Part of it was because a few of the folks were just disgusting human beings and I didnu0026#39;t want to see them get any attention. Some of the folks in the film were born with the name Hitler and chose not to change it. Those folks and their decision NOT to change it I was curious about and wish the film had zeroed in on this exclusively. However, it also went off on tangents–such as a white supremacist jerk who recently named his kids Hitler, Aryannation and the like as well as the u0026#39;investigative journalistu0026#39;. As for the journalist, he was curious about Adolf Hitleru0026#39;s surviving family who moved to the United States. Not surprisingly, they changed their last names and wanted anonymity. After all, theyu0026#39;d done nothing wrong…yet this writer insisted on dredging up their family past and even acknowledged that the surviving family members did NOT want any of this happen! A few of the folks named Hitler just seemed rather pathetic and uninteresting.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, the film has some fascinating moments but simply was a mess to watch due to the strange focus and featuring horrible folks (NOT born with the Hitler name) as well as those who didnu0026#39;t choose this name or notoriety. I really didnu0026#39;t like the film nor did I respect the filmmakeru0026#39;s choices.”