Images of the World and the Inscription of War

The primary focus of this documentary is on the process of perception and how it affects our understanding of historical facts. The means the director has chosen is to use aerial reconnaissance photos of the Auschwitz concentration camp from the time of World War II and from the 1970s, to see what expert CIA photo analysts can make of them. Some of the insights they come up with are astounding, others are ironic or amusing. Along with the photo analysts discussions, the film features a narrative which conveys many statistics and other facts from the period. The issues of camouflage and deception are central to the discussion. Though reviewers found that the documentary never became entirely coherent, they found its explorations intriguing.