Reenactment is an important method in documentary filmmaking. It has also attracted considerable interest in contemporary art. Why? Reenactments have been known as a widespread leisure activity for many decades – part of popular culture and often associated not only with a conservative view of history, but also with a preference for the 'realistic' effects of the performers' costumes and clothing, believed to be contributing to an enhanced experience of historical reality. In art and recent documentary practices in film, the focus is usually different. Reenactments have become part of alternative approaches to representation and to a critical reflection of immersion; they are used less to confirm than to undermine traditional concepts of realism. Against this background, we ask about their contribution to the aesthetic examination of historical and social reality.