Indeed, Labyrinth
of Lies contains a complex labyrinth of denial that the protagonist must
cut his way through to get to the heart of the matter in the late 1950’s—that
of identifying Nazi Party members who were stationed at Auschwitz during
WWII. Johann Radmann (Fehling) is
genuinely committed to The Truth, based to a great extent on his father’s admonition
to him before coming up missing in the war. Johann is young enough not to have heard about the
concentration camps in Germany, and has to be brought up to speed, partly on
his own because few people want to talk about it. He is a prosecutor, and when the film opens, is bored out of
his mind dealing with traffic tickets.
Thomas Gnielka (Szymanski) is a reporter who makes a scene in a law
firm, trying to get it to investigate someone who was an officer at Auschwitz
and is now a local schoolteacher. Gnielka and Radmann become friends, which is
another way Johann becomes more informed about the war. Later, when he gets a chance to lead
the investigation in ferreting out Auschwitz personnel who are still living, he
jumps at it. Little does he
realize that this will involve looking up 8,000 employees of the camp.
Johann is on the pole opposite the deniers and
“forgetters” of the Holocaust. He
views the law as dichotomous; either you’re guilty or innocent, and if you’re
guilty you must be punished, no matter what the extenuating circumstances are
or were. He goes after identifying
and locating the perpetrators with unmatched zeal, heedless of the cautionary
advice of those senior to him. He
is so obsessed with the task as he sees it he even shows no mercy to those in
his circle whom he loves, when he finds they were members of the Nazi Party.
This well made film from Germany directed by
Giulio Ricciarelli and co-written with Elizabeth Bartel, examines the concepts
of punishment, forgiveness, and mercy within a system of justice. Johann has major battles—wins and
losses—in arriving at a place where he is at peace. I presume his journey is meant to signify the one the German
people have had to make. It’s similar
as well to Nelson Mandela’s stance in South Africa after he was released from
prison. His message was that
forgiveness and reconciliation should take precedence over punishment; it is
the victims and their stories that become essential in this paradigm.
Alexander Fehling captures the role of the
earnest, naïve, ambitious attorney who has a bit of the save-the-world complex;
as he learns more, his expression turns to one of pain, puzzlement and doubt, part
of the maturing process. Gert Voss
as his Attorney General is strong as well in his role of trying to supervise
his charge while giving him freedom to investigate and use his own ideas. Other supporting actors, Becht,
Szymanski, and Krisch help to make this a fine acting ensemble. The moving score by Sebastian Pille and
Niki Reiser and elegant cinematography of Martin Langer and Roman Osin enhances
the quality of this fine production that relates the story of historically
important events.
A finely crafted film detailing the
German zeitgeist following World War II.
Grade: A- By
Donna R. Copeland
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