“The Disappearance of Josef Mengele”: how the Nazi sadistic doctor managed never to be punished for his horrific crimes

Josef Mengele was a Nazi doc who performed sadistic experiments connected Jews successful the Auschwitz extermination camp. He was the alleged “angel of death”, notorious for his murderous acts successful the sanction of science.

After the extremity of World War II, Mengele managed to flight seizure successful Germany and fled to Argentina with the assistance of his erstwhile SS comrades. Like him, thousands of others managed to scope South America with the assistance of collaborators and German immigrants who were sympathetic to them. In the lawsuit of Argentina, and with the assistance of President Juan Perón, who had adjacent ties to European fascism.

This is the constituent from which the movie “Das Verschwinden von Josef Mengele” (“The Disappearance of Josef Mengele”) begins. It is simply a melodramatic movie astir the warfare criminal’s palmy flight from Buenos Aires done Brazil to Paraguay.

The German-language movie was made by Russian manager Kirill Serrebrenikov and premiered successful May astatine the Cannes Film Festival and is present showing successful cinemas successful Germany. It is based connected the award-winning publication by French writer and writer Olivier Guez, published successful 2017. The movie paints a bleak representation of the causes and consequences of Nazi ideological extremism.

Disappearance and corruption

The Disappearance of Josef Mengele begins successful 1956. The German warfare transgression is surviving successful exile successful Buenos Aires nether the sanction Helmut Gregor. However, Israeli quality agents, West German officials, and Nazi hunters person tracked him down.

The movie shows however money, connections, and the quality to alteration himself arsenic a chameleon helped 1 of the world’s astir wanted criminals evade planetary justness for decades. Mengele, played by August Dill, yet drowned successful 1979 owed to a changeable connected a Brazilian beach.

The movie besides reveals however the antheral who conducted perverse experiments connected radical astatine Auschwitz tin ne'er flight his past. Alone, sick and elderly, Mengele is surviving nether a mendacious individuality successful São Paulo erstwhile his lad Rolf tracks him down and wants to cognize what truly happened successful the camp. As a caller procreation demands the truth, Mengele tin lone repetition the fascist lies helium utilized to warrant his crimes.

Is justness being done successful immoderate way?

What happens to warfare criminals erstwhile the warfare is over? Is determination immoderate benignant of divine trial? Will these radical ever beryllium held accountable for their actions? These were the questions that plagued the Russian director.

Kiril Serebrennikov, a professional of Russian President Vladimir Putin who lived for years nether location apprehension successful his homeland, deliberately brings the spectator adjacent to Mengele.

This is “a precise achy subject” successful Germany, says Kirill Serrebrenikov, who present lives successful Berlin. He says helium has had to larn a batch astir however generations of Germans came to presumption with history. He interviewed actors, journalists, friends, and producers to perceive stories astir their grandparents and their lives earlier and aft the war.

“Many chose silence,” helium says. “It’s a precise achy subject. But possibly the movie volition alteration a wider conversation. That would beryllium good,” helium stresses, astatine a clip erstwhile the acold close is gaining ground.