Heidegger: Thinking the Unthinkable

Heidegger: Thinking the Unthinkable explores the life and work of German philosopher Martin Heidegger. The film portrays Heidegger as an exceptionally gifted thinker who was nevertheless widely criticised and marginalised by many of his peers due to his affiliation with the Nazi Party.

Heidegger was born in Germany in 1889 and began developing his philosophical ideas during a period in which the Nazi Party was transforming the country. The documentary shows how he built upon and reinterpreted the ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche in an effort to confront fundamental questions of human existence and self-awareness. It also reveals how critics dismissed his work as little more than Nazi propaganda, and how these accusations may have contributed to his withdrawal into a life of solitude in the rural town of Todtnauberg.

The documentary follows Heidegger’s life through to his death in 1976. It considers how his ideas have endured over time and influenced thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Jacques Derrida, as well as many other major figures in modern philosophy.