The Grandfather Puzzle Pieces Together a Family History One Man Wouldn’t Talk About

A filmmaker turns her private, reluctant grandfather's story into a puzzle-driven documentary, The Grandfather Puzzle, part of the JoyDrops series.

Ora DeKornfeld's grandfather refused for years to share his life in Hungary, where he had left a castle and a baronial title. Unable to get him to talk, she photographed the castle where he grew up, turned the image into a jigsaw puzzle and brought it to Baltimore, hoping it would open up his silence. The puzzle did not unlock his memories, and he died in August, months after the film premiered, without agreeing to watch it.

DeKornfeld says making the film brought her closer to him. The documentary is her first personal film, after years of video journalism and co-directing Stalin's Boys. She wanted it to acknowledge the weight of the Holocaust and what it cost her grandfather without letting that loss define him, and she argues that humour in documentaries deserves more room.

JoyDrops is a partnership between Good News Network and Switchboard Magazine that showcases five awards-eligible documentary shorts focused on hope and joy. A new film and director interview is published every Wednesday.

Key points

• Ora DeKornfeld made The Grandfather Puzzle after her grandfather refused for years to discuss his life in Hungary.
• She photographed his childhood castle and turned the image into a jigsaw puzzle, which he loved.
• The town welcomed her as the returning baroness, though no one mentioned why the family had left.
• The grandfather died in August without ever watching the film.
• DeKornfeld says she has no regrets about their relationship.

Why it matters

The film shows how a documentary about the Holocaust can address loss and humour together, and how a family story can stay unresolved yet still bring people closer.