Rent Labyrinth of Lies (2014)
3.8 of 5 from 99 ratings
1h 58min
- General info
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- Synopsis:
Germany, 1958. In those years, "Auschwitz" was a word that some people had never heard of, and others wanted to forget as quickly as possible. Against the will of his immediate superior, young prosecutor Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling) begins to examine the case of a teacher who has recently been identified as a former Auschwitz guard. Radmann soon lands in a web of repression and denial, but also of idealization. He devotes himself with utmost commitment to his new task and is resolved to find out what really happened. He oversteps boundaries, falls out with friends, colleagues and allies, and is sucked deeper and deeper into a labyrinth of lies and guilt in his search for the truth. But what he ultimately brings to light will change the country forever. - Actors:
- André Szymanski, Alexander Fehling, Friederike Becht, Johannes Krisch, Johann von Bülow, Robert Hunger-Bühler, Hansi Jochmann, Lukas Miko, Gert Voss, Tim Williams, Mathis Reinhardt, Hartmut Volle, Werner Wölbern, Timo Dierkes, Michael Schernthaner, Susanne Schäfer, Robert Mika, Stefan Wilkening, Elinor Eidt, Lisa Martinek
- Directors:
- Giulio Ricciarelli
- Producers:
- Jakob Claussen, Ulrike Putz
- Writers:
- Elisabeth Bartel, Giulio Ricciarelli
- Aka:
- Im Labyrinth des Schweigens
- Studio:
- StudioCanal
- Genres:
- Drama
- Countries:
- Germany
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Reviews (2) of Labyrinth of Lies
A tale of doggedness in post-war Germany - Labyrinth of Lies review by Philip in Paradiso
This is an interesting film, which shows what the atmosphere was like, in Germany, in the 1950s, in relation to the country's Nazi (recent) past. A young and ambitious prosecutor refuses to give up when he is fobbed off, wanting to investigate former SS guards at the Auschwitz extermination camp.
This is a good film, with good acting, but it is a bit slow, perhaps, at times. There are also a few places where it is pretty obvious the scene was not shot outside but in a studio (cardboard-type facades of houses on a large square at one stage).
Still, I recommend it and enjoyed watching it. How do you come to terms with evil, and the evil perpetrated by members of your own family? A tough one.
5 out of 6 members found this review helpful.
Watchable, Worthy and Wordy German Film about bringing Nazis to justice in late 50s/early 60s - Labyrinth of Lies review by PV
It is a fascinating but awful fact that 97% who committed atrocities in Nazi Germany and on their behalf never faced justice - most SS officers and Waffen-SS squads like Einsatzgruppen who slaughtered in the east were never arrested, tried or punished. Those at Nuremburg were the tip of the iceberg and many of the guilty such as Albert Speer got just 20 years in prison then got rich writing about their time with the Nazis. Speer died in London in 1981!
But then it is always the same. Most aristocrats were not guillotined in the French revolution and most kept their lands; ditto in the USSR and all the atrocities committed there and on behalf of the Soviets in eastern Europe and Germany.
Having said all that, this film is fascinating, especially the first half. The main actor Alexander Flehming carries the story and is totally believable. Hard to make a film whose main plot if bringing people to trial, so it focuses on his mental state really as the central story. His personal and Germany's collective guilt.
Watch to the end to see what happened to the SS men arrested.
The focus on Mengele is justified. Watch the movie THE GERMAN DOCTOR or even the classic BOYS FROM BRAZIL to see him in fictional form.
One correction - Mengele (living under an assumed name) died of a stroke while swimming off Brazil in 1979, not in a swimming 'accident'.
4 stars
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.