Le comptable d'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.

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.

To have access to the trove of information, including much in the public domain from interviews and the trial of the 'Accountant' is a documentary film makers dream. But in this work, it is spoiled by scant regard for basic journalism and documentary makers 'Rule #1 - trust but verify' sources statements. That the subject was not even spoken to in the making of the film, nor statements included being second-source validated, was a real distortion, leaving the otherwise exceptionally interesting subject an Emperor with no clothes

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.

A really fascinating look at how a criminal can truly make themselves believe that they are innocent. Wonderful documentary. A must watch.