Nichts als die Wahrheit

The main idea of this movie -J. Mengele returning to Germany to stand trial- is a brilliant one. Götz Georges´ Mengele gives the impression of superiority whereas the german society of the today seems pale, confronted with him. The truth is not in question here, the killings and experiments in Auschwitz are admitted openly and the main character of lawyer Rohm mainly wants to understand, how such crimes were possible and how a man like Mengele justifies them. And Mengele gives an explanation... Up to this point the movie works perfectly but then too many side characters and side plots are developed that I was not really interested in. But the main question, why his crimes are crimes, stays unanswered and the second half of the movie simply pressed the fact that everybody can get guilty when the circumstances are "right". I missed a good (ethical, philosophical) answer to that. It was not enough, simply to repeat that Mengele is guilty no matter what he says in his defense, not in a movie like this. I think the producers did not trust the (german) viewers to think for themselves.

Nichts als die Wahrheit is a very entertaining thriller that I caught on TFO. Dr. Mengele, the evil doctor of Auschwitz, did not die in 1979 but instead returns to Germany of his own free will to face trial for his crimes. The man he chooses as his lawyer is not sure he wants to defend such a brutal man, but says that every man deserves a fair trial. There are the usual types of people on one side or another: neo-Nazis, leftwingers, media people. It gets rough--a man is blown up by a car bomb. The courtroom scenes are usually effective; they show us how Mengele's trial would have been an embarrassment for many people in the new Germany had it actually taken place.

One actor stands out: Gotz George, who I have never seen before, is terrific and terrifying as Mengele. He uses a soft, breathy voice to sinister effect as he plays cat and mouse with everybody, but especially with Rohm, his lawyer. George is made up to look a little like one of the Hellraiser demons.

The story of Nazi collaborators being brought to justice would not seem interesting anymore in these days, even with the emergence of extreme Nationalistic tendencies in several places out of Germany, but Roland Suso Richter made an intelligent and moving drama, based on a fantasy. Suppose that "The Angel of Death of Auschwitz", Dr. Josef Mengele (who never faced German justice and died in Brazil) had come back to Berlin, selected a bright young lawyer (Peter Rohm) for his defense, and asked to be judged to set the facts straight, or to put it in his words, "to let the Truth be known". The lawyer's only strategy is to interpret Mengele's actions under the medical ethics of his time, and in a way he succeeds to prove that Mengele was just acting according to the common notion in Nazi Germany, that doctors could and should dispense of lives that weren't worth-living. But there's more to it. Although the script (by Johannes W. Betz and Christopher and Kathleen Riley) makes a fine tapestry of past and present (and includes a disturbing final speech by Mengele) and the camera-work by Martin Lager is first rate, director Richter does not incurs in flashy style. His mise-en-scene is elegant and confident, immensely helped by the excellent performances by Götz George as Mengele and Kai Wiesinger as Rohm.

Excellent movie with Götz George as Mengels. Back in Germany, he's ask about the crimes of the Nazis. Doing that, he questions our own attitude towards crime. It's hard not to get into deep thoughts after seeing «After the truth». The final scene is quiet compelling. It's very interesting to see such a movie coming out in today's Germany.

8 out of 10. 85%

This is a disturbing movie, a courtroom drama in which a man claiming to be Josef Mengele voluntarily returns to Germany for trial. He enlists an unwilling lawyer to defend him in a court of law. The lawyer must defend the indefensible, an act he finds personally repugnant but accepts because of a need to understand the holocaust and what let it happen. The answer seems to be that unspeakable evil lurks closer than one might comfortably imagine.