Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage, Shared Humanity: Filmmaker Nick Davis on the Holocaust Documentary This Ordinary Thing

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with award-winning filmmaker Nick Davis about his fascinating and moving documentary This Ordinary Thing. Nick Davis shares the inspiration behind the film’s title and its focus on the everyday heroism of ordinary people who risked everything to help others during one of history’s darkest chapters. Through vivid storytelling and personal anecdotes, he explores how acts of courage, often seen as extraordinary, were simply “what you did” for those who chose to help, which raises the question: why didn’t everyone do this so-called ordinary thing? With the film’s unique blend of archival footage, cinematic techniques, and performances by renowned actors, we see these harrowing true stories of the Holocaust come to life with immediacy and emotional depth. Finally, the filmmaker gives us behind-the-scenes glimpses into the challenges and rewards of assembling a cast, the importance of highlighting the daily realities of those involved, and the universal humanity at the heart of these narratives thus offering an inspiring look at the resilience, ingenuity, and compassion that can shine through during moments of adversity and in the face of pure evil.