Beata and Serge Klarsfeld dedicated their lives to finding Nazi war criminals and bringing them to justice. Even today, in their 80s, they continue their fight against the far-right movement that is growing stronger in Europe. The movie “Klarsfeld: A Love Story” unfolds the story of Beata and Serge’s relationship – hunting partners, activists, parents, husband and wife – and presents their courageous work and their enduring love. The film examines their work in the past and their current efforts to fight fascism, and does so through diverse personal testimonies from activists, family members, presidents, Holocaust survivors and others. Beata Klarsfeld was born into a Protestant German family and felt that it was her duty to obtain justice for the victims of the Holocaust. In 1968 she drew global attention to the secret Nazi past of German Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger when she publicly slapped him during a debate in the German parliament. Kissinger was the first Nazi criminal exposed as part of Beata and Serge’s fight for truth and justice.
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The life’s work of Serge Klarsfeld, a French activist born in Romania, began after his father sacrificed his life for his family. In October 1942, in France, eight-year-old Serge, his mother and sister hid behind a double partition in a closet while his father turned himself in to the Vichy regime. Arno Klarsfeld, prisoner number 159683, was sent to Auschwitz and never returned. Serge, who worked as a lawyer and historian, dedicated his life to uncovering the identities of the Jews expelled from France and the Nazi criminals responsible. Serge was not content with hunting Nazis, he also wanted to give a face and a name to the deported Jews. According to Serge and Beata, their becoming fearless Nazi hunters was only possible thanks to their love for each other, and the strength they drew from home: “I couldn’t do anything without her. And she couldn’t do anything without her” (Serge Klarsfeld).