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  • 2015
  • The Cinema Guild
  • 1 h 44 m
  • 2015
  • The Cinema Guild
  • 1 h 44 m

Summary In 1945, when the Allies liberated the concentration camps, they discovered thousands of secretly created artworks. These drawings, hidden from the Nazis, offer an unparalleled view of life during the war. For more than 70 years, the story of the artists who created them has remained untold. With unprecedented access to paintings, drawin...

Written By: Christophe Cognet

  • 2015
  • The Cinema Guild
  • 1 h 44 m
  • 2015
  • The Cinema Guild
  • 1 h 44 m

Because I Was a Painter

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 4 Critic Reviews
63
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary In 1945, when the Allies liberated the concentration camps, they discovered thousands of secretly created artworks. These drawings, hidden from the Nazis, offer an unparalleled view of life during the war. For more than 70 years, the story of the artists who created them has remained untold. With unprecedented access to paintings, drawin...

Written By: Christophe Cognet

Where to Watch

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 4 Critic Reviews
63
50% Positive
2 Reviews
50% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 4 Critic Reviews
63
50% Positive
2 Reviews
50% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
70
Apr 23, 2015
As crude as many of these works are, they exert an eerie cumulative power.
By Stephen Holden FULL REVIEW
70
Apr 23, 2015
Cognet's work is more devoted to thought about aesthetics than aesthetics themselves. His modest film represents a break from the rigorous historical work typically associated with documentaries about the Holocaust, and its open-ended nature is a fitting analogue to ongoing questions about testimony and healing.
By Abby Garnett FULL REVIEW
60
Apr 23, 2015
A less successful aspect of the film is Cognet’s attempt to tie the concentration camps as contemporary spaces into the narrative, with shots of the now practically empty landscapes -- some tourists here and there notwithstanding -- interspersed throughout.
By Boyd van Hoeij FULL REVIEW
60
Apr 22, 2015
More attention paid to the narrative of some of these pieces, rather than simply their craft, could have been more enlightening.
By Andrew Lapin FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company La Huit, Augenschein Filmproduktion
Release Date Apr 24, 2015
Duration 1 h 44 m
Genres
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Awards

Rome Film Fest
• 1 Nomination

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