Besa: The Promise Reflection

   The movie "Besa: The Promise" tells the story of heroism in Albania during WWII through the voyage of two men, Norman Gershman and Rexhep Hoxha. Gershman is a well known Jewish-American photographer who became determined to take photos and document Albanian Muslims who helped to save Jews during the Holocaust.  Hoxha, a Muslim-Albanian, had to fulfill a promise to the Jewish Family that his father rescued during the Holocaust. His father saved a set of Hebrew books for this family, and now it is Hoxha's "besa" to give back the books to them. Norman helps Rexhep with his journey, and Rexhep soon find out that he is also a part of a Jewish family, and his faith was depressed by his raising in a Communist environment. In the end, Rexhep successfully gave back the books to the family and discovered the missing piece in his life that he never knew was gone. The film allows us an inside look of the many Muslim rescuers that we as a society rarely get to hear about.
    Personally, I thought the film was well done and had a strong message to get across, but I also felt like there was so much more that could have been focused on. I enjoyed the idea of "Besa" and seeing how far the journey took them to give the books. Besa is something that I feel every person should live for or by because it could help with our moral compass as people. Also, I believe the people featured in the film can be called Altruists. They saved so many lives and required no recognition of it which makes them true heroes.