The Accountant of Auschwitz

This is a worthwhile addition to the genre of Holocaust documentary. It deals not only with activities of Gronig (the epynomous 'Accountant') but also the difficulties of prosecuting war criminals in their 90s. The movie also discusses the changed legal basis for recent prosecutions in the post-Demjanjuk years.

Very interesting and well put together I found the middle parts slightly all over the shop not necessarily done badly as I feel it would have perhaps been more powerful to focus in more detail on the main case than going to others and returning. Other than that though i wouldn't fault it and some may like that anyway.

RIP Eva Kor, who passed away this month, age 85. This was a fairly pedestrian documentary until Eva made an appearance and seemingly turned it on its head with her act of forgiveness.

The Accountant of Auschwitz is a lot more than just about Oscar Groning, the title subject. It focuses on the prosecution of war criminals in general, touching on some past cases and the lack of justice for survivors. The complexities of bringing former Nazis to justice is explored in depth.

The real emotional punches come from the interviews with survivors. They are remarkable people and represent the countless Holocaust victims with dignity, respect and courage.

I remembered seeing Oscar Groning in the 2005 BBC documentary - and immediately wishing that the smug man would somehow be brought to justice.

Even if you have seen Holocaust documentaries and films in the past - this will still hold your attention. It left me wanting to hug the nearest person and spread a little kindness in the world.

For the record, I saw this immediately after Nazi VR (2017).

This was a very interesting documentary that went into court cases I never heard about and brought up an important question of who should be held responsible for atrocities. Hell, it'd make a great spark of classroom discussion and debate even.

One of the best things The Accountant of Auschwitz does is provide different sides of the argument. Who should be prosecuted (accountants, guards, executioners) and to what degree? Should anyone be forgiven? It doesn't really tell the audience how to feel. It just thoroughly informs and leaves the conversation entirely up to them.

There's an event that really caught me by surprise (the lady). I wasn't sure how to feel about it at first. While the act was understandable-ish, the prosecution should definitely continue. Now that I think about it, it reminds me of a documentary called Long Night's Journey Into Day (2000), which examines 4 out of 7000 cases that were brought before South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) since 1994 "to mediate between those seeking amnesty from apartheid-related crimes and the families of their victims." The TRC's restorative justice method is a stark contrast to the Nuremberg's Trials' retributive justice. I highly recommend watching both within the same week and asking yourself which is most appropriate for South Africa's apartheid and Germany's antisemitism.

Overall entertaining but after the end you have the feel like the documentary is overly biased