'Inheritance' Review: A Sentimental Short About Memory, Identity and Moral Responsibility
By Romey Norton - October 13, 2026
Some stories are found in books, others in old photographs, and some emerge from the quiet corners of a family home. Inheritance, an independent film written by Hannah Levy, begins with the familiar task of clearing out a loved one’s house but gradually opens into something far more personal, political and emotionally complex.
What is Inheritance about?
Following the death of her grandfather, Hannah returns to his house in Hull to sort through his belongings. Among the photographs, prayer book and everyday objects, she begins piecing together a family history shaped by Jewish identity, persecution, displacement and survival. As the ongoing devastation in Gaza enters the house through news broadcasts and headlines, Hannah is forced to consider how the lessons inherited from previous generations sit alongside the suffering of others today. This isn’t just a journey into the past, it’s looking at the present and the future.
The film opens with real clips from the chaos and conflict happening in Gaza, which is a powerful and poignant way to set the tone. We’re then thrown into a cafe in Hull, which gives the film a tangible sense of place. Grounding its wider themes in a city with its own histories of migration, labour and community. There is something fitting about a story concerned with displacement and belonging unfolding in a Yorkshire port city shaped by movement and change.
At the heart of Inheritance is an uncomfortable but important question: how do we honour the experiences of those who came before us without allowing their suffering to excuse injustice in the present? The film approaches this subject through Hannah’s personal reckoning rather than attempting to deliver a straightforward political argument. It recognises the significance of Jewish family history while insisting that remembering persecution must also leave room for empathy, accountability and the recognition of another people's humanity.
That balance gives the film its emotional purpose. It doesn’t suggest that history is simple, or that inherited beliefs can be untangled overnight. Instead, it explores the difficult process of questioning what we have been taught, including the silences and assumptions that can pass from one generation to the next.
The editing and sound mixing is to a really high standard for a short film, there’s lovely orchestral music, as we look through memories, some light and some dark. There’s not a lot of dialogue, which is an interesting choice, as it really asks the viewer to watch and take in the imagery and build the story.
The film's willingness to acknowledge the filmmaking process itself is another intriguing choice. In its final movement, the frame opens up to reveal the crew and the apparatus behind the production. It is a reminder that telling a story involves choices, perspectives and responsibilities. Nobody involved in shaping a narrative stands entirely outside the history it addresses. It’s a surprisingly emotional ending.
If there are faults, it’s that we as audiences have to do a little guess work and piecing together the relationship and the whole reason for this short film. The message will be different for everyone, and sometimes that’s a good and bad thing.
Inheritance is a modest, reflective short film that trusts its audience to sit with difficult questions. Its Yorkshire roots, intimate visual language and deeply personal starting point give it a distinctive character, while its concerns reach far beyond one family or one city. My main take away was understanding that remembering the past should deepen our compassion, not limit it.
'Inheritance' is currently working its way through the festival market.
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Romey Norton
Senior Writer
Romey is a senior writer for Film Focus Online, covering the latest film reviews, news, features and interviews, with a passion for all things cinema.
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