Be incomplete

How do you tell the story of World War II in about two hours? You don’t, of course. So much happened during WW2 that it would be impossible to convey the horror, the heroism, the suffering and the evil in just a few hours.

Which is why, when we want to tell the story of WW2, we focus on the war from a specific perspective. We don’t tell a story about millions of people — we tell a story about a small and specific group of people. The young soldiers who were asked to defend another country. The Jews who had to hide from the Germans. Or everyday people who became heroes because of the brave choices they made.

It’s why we have movies like Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List. Sophie’s Choice and A Bridge Too Far. Dunkirk and Jojo Rabbit.

When you tell a story, don’t try to be complete. To be effective, we have to be incomplete.