The German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt caused an uproar in the 1960s by coining the subversive concept of the “Banality of Evil” when writing about the trial of Adolph Eichmann in Jerusalem for the New Yorker, with many critics charged minimized the unique horrors of the Third Reich. In her private life she was no less provocative, thanks to an early love affair with renowned German philosopher and Nazi supporter Martin Heidegger. A probing and spirited documentary, with an abundance of archival materials, Ada Ushpiz’s “Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt” offers an intimate portrait of the whole of Arendt’s life, traveling to places where she lived, worked, loved, and was betrayed, as she wrote about the open wounds of modern times. Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at W. 95th St. Jul. 3 & 10, 7 p.m. Tickets are $14, $12 for students & seniors at symphonyspace.org.
