JIFF: The Commandant’s Shadow

The Commandant’s Shadow

Australian Premiere

“As is so often the case, the truth is far more interesting, and more layered, than its fictional depiction.” - Jerusalem Post

“An amazing and dramatic historical tableau.” - The Guardian

“An overpowering work of excavation and confrontation—as well as a timely and urgent warning about the continuing threat of antisemitism.” - The Daily Beast

The Zone of Interest, an Academy Award-winning film and one of the most riveting and talked-about cinematic releases of 2023, centred on Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his family, who made their home in chilling proximity to the site of atrocities.

In this visceral and transformative documentary, we follow the final reckoning of Hans Jürgen Höss as he struggles with his father’s horrific legacy. Hans, now 87, meets for the first time with Auschwitz survivor and renowned cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, whose day-to-day struggle for survival eight decades ago unfolded in jarring dissonance to Höss’ happy childhood just on the other side of the barbed wire.

Accompanied by their children in a historic encounter in Anita’s living room, the two recount their parallel stories with painful honesty, raising timeless and pertinent questions about guilt and forgiveness.

Rating

M

Duration

103 min

Language

English and German (English subtitles)

Cast

Hans Jürgen Höss, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Kai Höss, Maya Lasker-Wallfisch

Director

Daniela Völker