‘We Were The Lucky Ones’ Episode 4 Shines A Devastating Light on The Perils of Motherhood During The Holocaust

Hulu’s new historical drama We were the lucky onesThe story sheds a devastating light on motherhood during the Holocaust as one of the characters makes the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of her daughter.

The series, premiering March 28, is inspired by a true story and follows the Kurc family as they are separated during World War II.

Episode 4, “Casablanca,” sees young mother Mila Kurc (Hadas Yaron) seek refuge after struggling to protect her daughter Felicia in their increasingly hostile environment. The situation comes to a head when Mila works a shift and has to hide Felicia during interrogation.

During an intense conversation with her loved ones, Mila is encouraged to seek a safe home for her daughter in a Polish family when she learns that soldiers have forcibly removed Jewish children from their homes.

Mila immediately dismisses the suggestion: “Is that what you’re talking about?” How do I get rid of my child?

The family matriarch harshly explains the situation, telling Mila: “I saw the Germans grab a child and smash his head against the wall. This is what will happen if we wait.

The vile images reach Mila as she begins preparing Felicia to go into hiding. But his attempt to leave Felicia with another family is rejected when the little girl returns with the response that she looks “too Jewish.” Later, Mila is allowed to be transported to Palestine with Felicia under the pretext that her husband – a doctor – will join them.

However, the trip does not go as planned. In the final scene of episode 4, the vehicle carrying Mila and Felicia is stopped by German soldiers. The refugees are violently removed from the vehicle and forced to dig a trench at gunpoint. Mila clings to her daughter and tries to distract her by showing her the wild nature around them. “See these trees? she asks the toddler. “I wonder if they’re apple trees.” The heartbreaking scene continues and shows Felicia sitting in the dirt while her mother is asked to “dig for two.”

Mila sees one of the refugees, a blonde woman, cuddling up to the captain. In a last-ditch effort to save her daughter’s life, she trains Felicia to run up to the woman and pretend she is her mother. “Run towards her, shouting ‘Mommy!’ When you reach her, hug and kiss her, and don’t let go,” Mila orders Felicia.

The child comes to the woman, who hesitantly accepts it. The soldier asks the woman if the child is hers and the woman accepts. The soldier then allows the woman and Felicia to return to the vehicle. Mila watches the scene with teary eyes and as the soldiers move to tell the diggers to undress, she escapes and runs towards the vehicle. The others who resisted and fought against the soldiers were cut down, but Mila’s escape seemed to have been overlooked by the chaos around her.

According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, during the Holocaust, pregnant women and mothers of young children were often labeled “unable to work” and sent to death camps. The interrogation depicted in the episode was likely to result in an execution, as described by Yad Vashem of the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. An excerpt from the site says: “When the Nazis employed the method of murder by shooting in extermination pits, the entire population was taken and murdered together, usually after men, women and children were forced to strip naked. . »

At the end of episode 4, Mila and Felicia’s future was unclear. However, the remaining episodes will likely provide some much-needed answers. For now, episode 4 and Hadas Yaron’s brilliant performance as Mila, a mother forced to live out her worst nightmare, leaves viewers with a harsh reminder of what families endured during the Holocaust.

We were the lucky ones is streaming on Hulu.