Viva Activa

The German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt caused an uproar in the 1960s

by coining the subversive concept of the “Banality of Evil” when referring to the

trial of Adolph Eichmann, which she covered for the New Yorker magazine.

Her private life was no less controversial thanks to her early love affair with

the renowned German philosopher and Nazi supporter Martin Heidegger. This

thought provoking and spirited documentary, with its abundance of archival

materials, offers an intimate portrait of the whole of Arendt’s life, traveling to

places where she lived, worked, loved, and was betrayed, as she wrote about

the open wounds of modern times. Through her books, which are still widely read

and the recent release of Margarethe von Trotta’s biopic Hannah Arendt there

is renewed interest in Arendt throughout the world, especially among young

people who find her insights into the nature of evil, totalitarianism, ideologies,

and the perils faced by refugees, more relevant than ever.