Nichts als die Wahrheit

This film is absolutely wonderful. Not in the way that it makes you feel good, oh no! It seduces you to try to understand the deeds of one of the most famous and feared Nazis ever: Dr. Josef Mengele. It leads you to the point where you have to declare where your own point of view is located without offering the easy way out...

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.

*No spoilers, all infos included in advertisings to the movie*

This movie is a very brave attempt to ask difficult questions in an unfashionable way. Dr. med. Josef Mengele, the name alone may cause shiver in ones mind. The 'Deathangel of Auschwitz', the beast, a monster, a man!? Richter story actually starts with the doctor arriving in Germany, admitting all he has done... pleading NOT guilty due to the circumstances of his time.

Hardly to believe you might think... so did I, 'till I saw the movie, 'till I heard the argumentation... The movie is no accusation of a political system, a period of time itself, or a single person, it's not even actually a typical 'what-if'. It, too, is no justification for either side. It simple asks the question whether a murder of thousands can be judged or if this is just a little bit out of scale for current laws and minds. If one man was guilty in the past, aren't we all in the present?

The international affect of the topic is too little present. The thriller elements are (IMHO) superfluous and the REAL interesting questions could be more deeply evolved. But nevertheless this movie is worth a ticket or to. Gets a 9/10! I took deep impacts in my conscious... got me troubled.

"If you put aside all answers as lies, still the question remains."

When I saw AFTER THE TRUTH I was absolutely spellbound. Such a monstrous, though in fact, quite simple idea could actually be turned into a film? In Germany? Never! The fact stands that this is a brave and well crafted study of a man's choice between professional opportunity and his personal ethics. Forced to defend The Angel Of Death - Dr. Josef Mengele - his personal life is, understandably, completely turned upside down. The script by Johannes W. Betz manages to alternate convincingly between scenes portraying his inner turmoil and the fascinating encounters with Dr. Mengele. Götz George as Mengele is excellent and it is largely through his brilliant performance that the story is so fascinating and believable. The ending of the film felt a bit like a copout to me but the clever editing and the accomplished direction by Roland Suso Richter never falter. After living in fear that the German cinema was dead and buried, there appears to be new blood to bring it back to life.

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.