Il labirinto del silenzio

An agreeable and well-acted approach to a historically significant but little-known event. In Germany, 15 years after World War II, one young man forces an entire country to face its past. Set in Frankfurt, 1958, for the first time, the Germans judge the Germans. The young state prosecutor Johann Radmann - Alexander Fehling- finds some documents that allow him to launch a judicial process against some members of the SS who served in Auschwitz. But the horrors of the past and the hostility towards his work bring him close to collapse, as he finds it almost impossible to make his way through a labyrinth in which everyone seems to be involved or guilty. A young and ambitious prosecutor discovers how important German institutions and some members of the government are involved in a conspiracy whose purpose is to cover up the crimes of the Nazis during World War II (1939-1945).

This is the remarkable true story of the pursuit of justice for the victims of Auschwitz. An interesting and pleasant film with a lot of social content and good performances. Here we witness the struggle of a young prosecutor who, avoiding all kinds of obstacles from both higher authorities and other people who hide or wish to live in peace without problems, nevertheless manages to bring those guilty of heinous crimes to trial. This intelligent and attractive film, endowed with extreme honesty, without an iota of falsehood and a lot of courage was well directed by Giulio Ricciarelli. It got several prizes and nominations , such as: 20 Satellite Awards (International Press Academy), nominated Best international film. German Film Awards 2015 - films of 2014 nominated Best film, Best Supporting Actor (Gert Voss), Best Screenplay (Elisabeth Bartel, Giulio Ricciarelli), Best soundtrack (Niki Reiser, Sebastian Pille).

The Auschwitz trial began in 1963, 211 survivors of the Auscwitz concentration and extermination camp told their story. In the best trial in the history of the Federal Republic, 19 members of the SS who had served in Auscwitz appeared. 17 of the accused were convicted, during the 20 months that the trial lasted the accused did not show any repentance. Fritz Bauer died in 1978 from a myocardial infarction. Josef Mengeles lived in Brazil until his death in 1979, he died of a stroke while swimming. The trial marked a milestone in the history of the German Federal Republic, the crimes of the Nazi era could no longer be silenced. The film is taught to Attorney General Frtz Bauer, prosecutors Joachin Kugler, George Vogel, Gerhard Wiese and journalist Thomas Gnielka.

It's 1958 Frankfurt, West Germany. Johann Radmann is a young by-the-books prosecutor toiling in traffic court and believing his father to be anti-Nazi. Reporter Thomas Gnielka brings the case of Charles Schulz, a teacher suspected of being a Nazi guard in Auschwitz. Nobody cares about what happened there and actively ignores the collective Nazi past. He starts a relationship with Marlene Wondrak. Gnielka introduces him to camp survivor Simon Kirsch. Radmann starts digging into the past and building a case against many. His main obsession is camp doctor Josef Mengele who experimented on the prisoners.

The history is very compelling. However, the story lacks danger or intensity. It needs some additional drama. There is some professional and personal drama but none of it is that intense. The production and acting is first rate. It is a very compelling watch although there are no big surprises.

Holocaust stories from Schindler's List (1993) to Son of Saul (2015) penetrate our emotional defences by dragging us right into the horror zone. In Labyrinth of Lies (2014) we are spared this entirely because the horror is of a different kind. The focus is on a nation in denial, desperate to block the collective memories of the generation responsible and prevent the following one from ever knowing. The historical timeframe depicted is critical to grasping the power of this story. Set in 1958 Germany, thirteen years after the war, the economy is booming but the nation's older generation struggle with guilt and anger while the young have not even heard of Auschwitz. Produced in Germany, this film is an illuminating piece of the historical puzzle and part of a nation's prolonged self-atonement.

The storyline is linear and uncomplicated. A journalist recognises a former Nazi commander of Auschwitz now working as a schoolteacher, but he cannot elicit any interest from public prosecutors. He befriends young lawyer Johann Radmann who processes parking fines but is desperate to take on serious cases. Despite ridicule from colleagues he is made lead investigator and gradually learns about the secret killing factories of Auschwitz. The labyrinth he encounters is one of silence and lies, as large numbers of public servants and others in positions of power were former members of the Nazi Party and many were morally complicit in Hitler's Final Solution. Along the way, he becomes the obsessive hunter as the investigation keeps getting bigger until it is all- consuming. A romantic sub-story is awkwardly woven into the plot both to humanise Radmann and show the destructive impact that the investigation has on his life. The filming and sets convey the period with authenticity, and the directing is tight although the script is heavy. It takes almost the entire film to expose the full-scale truth, and the results of the investigations are dealt with swiftly as a cinematic necessity.

No doubt some people watch Holocaust films for entertainment, but many more do so searching for understanding of this extraordinary period of history. Labyrinth of Lies is important because it fills the gap between war's end in 1945 and the world's slow awakening to what happened at Auschwitz. In particular, it explains how the truth was kept from young Germans oblivious to what their parents did in the war and shows powerful hands on the blanket of silence. Like Spotlight (2015), the story starts by looking at the tip of an iceberg that grew until it overwhelmed a nation and it maintains an engaging thriller quality to the end.

Labyrinth of Lies is a 2014 German film about the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials that took place between 1963 and 1965. What distinguished the Frankfurt trails from all the other trials was that they were based on German law and because they happened 20+ years after the war, they were limited to murder charges. Several Nazis had been tried previously but they were convicted under international law and occurred right after the war.

The film begins in 1958 as a young prosecutor Johann Radmann (marvelously played by Alexander Fehling) is attracted to the case by a reporter (Andre Szymanski), and given support by the federal Attorney General (Gert Voss who is simply riveting). They must work against the denials, cover-ups and vested interests that try to keep the issue quiet.

The film gives you a real feel of the late 50s, and the photography and music support an excellent cast who do wonderful work. In a film about the holocaust, there is a tendency to shock, but director Giulio Ricciarelli skillfully shows that less is more.

There are some places where the film seems more like a docudrama, and some issues (e.g., Radmann's relationship with his mother) are only hinted at. But overall it's an excellent film, and while it may not be an equivalent to "Judgment at Nuremberg", it is well worth viewing.

For years I've been watching films from the "Allies" point of view and I never thought of the German point of view or I just assumed German people knew of the atrocities committed by their fellow men.

Its amazing and heartbreaking to know that Germans actually didn't know or chose to not believe what the Nazis were doing to the Jews during WWII.

We were made to believe also that all the Nazis were living in hiding after WWII, when some of them were actually living in relative comfort and free from scrutiny, among some of the people they tortured.

Labyrinth of Lies is the film that gives us a look of how the Germans were actually living in denial for years after the war and how some of the Nazis that committed war crimes were living their normal lives as if nothing had happened.

Very interesting film and very easy to understand if you know the history.