Movie Review: Paper Clips

The documentary Paper Clips (2004) is the most inspiring, heart-warming movie I have seen in recent years.

For those who think students are not learning anything significant, those who fret that nobody will remember the Holocaust when there are no more survivors, and for those who want to be inspired by the actions of the current college generation, have three words for you.

RENT THIS MOVIE!

If you watch this movie and are not moved, then call a cardiologist because I think your heart has stopped beating.

This documentary is, on the surface, about a school in Whitewell, Tennessee, population 1,500 with almost no racial diversity and no Jews. But it is really about so much more –- it is also about tolerance, civics, knowledge, and learning from history.

The idea is beautiful in its simplicity: Collect six million paper clips, one for each of the Jews killed in the Holocaust.

A student suggested collecting the paper clips would help everyone grasp just how big the number six million is. The paper clip is a meaningful choice because the Norwegians wore paper clips on lapels as a statement of solidarity with the victims of Hitler.

The collection of the paper clips picked up tremendous steam after news reports on the effort ran in The Washington Post, on NBC, and elsewhere.

Officials at the Post Office, in a cute segment, had to ask the school to pick its own mail because delivering so many paper clips was becoming too cumbersome.

As the school is shown passing the six million mark, I thought maybe it would instead shoot for 11 million, the total number of Holocaust victims when you factor in non-Jews killed because they were gay, gypsies, or had religious beliefs the Nazis wanted to exterminate.

While the school ultimately collected about 29 million paper clips from around the world, they put 11 million of them inside a rail car.

The train car was one actually used to take Jews to their death camps. The train car, today, sits outside the school and serves as both a museum and a memorial — with students serving as museum guides.

The teachers, like the students, reflect on their own experiences and openly share what they find. Teacher Linda Hooper says, “I have learned more from this project than I ever could have taught.”

Article Author: Scott Butki

Scott Butki was a newspaper reporter for more than 10 years before making a career change into education.

He is an in-house media critic, a recovering Tetris addict and a proud uncle.

Visit Scott Butki's author page — Scott Butki's Blog