Im Namen meiner Tochter - Der Fall Kalinka

The documentary reduced me to tears having been a mother myself but Barmberski, in my humble.opinion, should receive all of France's medals, awards and recognition of his outstanding persistence bravery and courage. I only wish I had had a parent like him and my life would have been so different. Kudos to you Monsieur Barmberski. I hope you take up the lecture tour as people would flock to you despite the harrowing events. Kalinka was beautiful 😍.

This is a story based on real events and it revolves around a gruesome case of a teenager in Germany by her step-father who is a renowned physician. Daniel Auteil is excellent in his performance as the girl's biological father, André Bamberski who begins a crusade in order to find the truth about his daughter's rape and murder. His quest for vindication covers a time-span of almost thirty years, from 1974 till 2009 and it takes place to both France and Germany. Sebastian Koch is equally splendid in the role of the shady doctor who takes advantage of his patients' trust and steals André's wife.

I found the movie to be quite distressing as the audience knows that it is -partly- true and its relatively short running time (almost 80 minutes in total) makes it a viewing experience that at no time becomes tedious or uninteresting. The director, Vincent Garenq, has great thriller movies such as "Présumé coupable" and "L'enquête" in his filmography. This movie is on the borderline between two genres, crime fiction, and true crime. To sum up, "Au Nom de ma Fille" is a rewarding artistic experience, very well-shot with some really great acting. Not to miss!

Autueille plays the father of Kalenka murdered by Krombach. She was raped then injected with an overdose of iron. It took Berneski three decades to get a conviction. The story is very interesting with Krombach first having an affair with Autueille's wife. When the affair is discovered, they marry and move to Bavaria, Landau. The children are there when Kalenka,15, is murdered. She was about to return to Toulouse when she was killed. Other victims surface. Wives of Krombach die or get sick. German officials cover up. The autopsy is a cover up. The body is dug up and the vagina is missing. The French court tries him without his presence. He is found guilty, but Germany does not recognize that verdict. This is a fascinating case which exposes corruption. The court scenes are also interesting. This case is one where a doctor does terrible harm over decades and gets away with it. He died in 2020.

Absolutely brilliant movie!Once again,bravo to European cinematography! Without any embellishments or Hollywood style bull-dang,simple touching ,true story of grief,sacrifice,father's love and fight for justice... To anybody, who liked this film and has a strong stomach for extreme violence and disturbing story strongly advise to watch another film on French language, but made in Quebec:"7 jours du Tallion" Anyhow, one of the few films, I happily give a 10!!!

"In Her Name" ("Au nom de ma fille") is a very difficult film to watch. It's about a child who was raped and murdered. Amazingly, the German legal system seemed to do its best to prevent a thorough investigation and prosecution of the perpetrator...and ultimately the father of the dead girl felt compelled to take justice into his own hands. Worse yet...it's a true story. So, think about this before you decide to watch the film...it's a tough film to watch even though the filmmakers were exceptional in presenting the story well and without showing or sensationalizing the sexual violence.

The story begins with the arrest of Andre Bamberski (Daniel Auteuil)...so there's no suspense in the story. You KNOW he broke the law and was arrested....and what drove him to that is then shown through the course of the movie.

Andre and his wife split up early in the story. She's having an affair with some doctor and so the marriage is dissolved. Years later, Andre is shocked to hear that his now teenage daughter has died. And, when there's an autopsy, there's clear indication her step-father, at the very least, killed her through incompetence...but there's also indications she was raped! Amazingly, the prosecutors in Germany (where the ex and her family now live) refuse to do anything. Years later, he is able to get a court order for a new autopsy...and when the body is examined, the genitals are MISSING!!! Clearly this is some sort of attempt to hide the crime. But again, nothing really happens...the German officials stymie Andre's attempts at justice. What's next and why was Andre arrested? And, how long, if ever, will he see justice?!

See the film.

As I expected, Daniel Auteuil was excellent in the lead. He's a truly gifted actor...one of the best French actors alive. It also seems that the people making this film had a real passion to bring this case to light, as it shows the public that sometimes to get justice you might just have to break a few laws...which is incredibly sad. Overall, an extraordinary movie.

If you do watch this film, be forewarned...it's a tough thing to watch. Have some Kleenex nearby and be sure to take care of yourself, as the movie is unrelentingly sad.