Johann Radmann is a green Public Prosecutor in Berlin, who has grand dreams of prosecuting murderers, but is relegated to working traffic violations to earn his stripes. It's not all bad, as he meets a fiery young beauty named Marlene Wondrak (Friederike Becht), who would later become a love interest. One day there is a commotion at work as a reporter named Thomas Gnielka (André Szymanski) comes in making a complaint about a known Auschwitz camp worker who is teaching young children at a local school, something that is against the law. In tow is timid Auschwitz survivor and artist Simon Kirsch (Johannes Krisch), who is afraid to make the complaint on his own. Naturally, these cries fall on the deaf ears of the members of the public prosecutor's office, except for the curious Mr. Radmann, who follows up on the information. He takes the matter up the chain and is really pleased with his work, only to find that nothing is actually done and the man remains in his teaching position.
As he is befriended by Gnielka and Kirsch and taken into their circle of friends, which includes the lovely Marlene Wondrak, a budding fashion designer, his eyes are opened to the truth. Those Germans who know about Auschwitz would rather not hear about it and want to forget, and those who are too young to remember aren't the least bit informed and are clueless to the torture and murder that occurred there. Even Radmann, himself, thought it was a simply a pleasant camp where Jews stayed, until he is educated by his new friends. He then sets upon a path to uncover the truth at whatever the cost, aided by his boss, Attorney General Fritz Bauer (Gert Voss), himself a former prisoner of a concentration camp. As Bauer names Radmann to head a task force to investigate the former workers of the Auschwitz camp, Radmann finds brick wall after brick wall, as the protectors of former Nazis are so deeply intermingled in all facets of the government. However, Radmann's years of hard work and determination cost him dearly personally, yet bring about a huge trial where hundreds of former Auschwitz workers are finally brought to justice.
Labyrinth of Lies is a deeply moving film that focuses on the procedural and investigative aspects of bringing the horrors of Auschwitz to light. It doesn't pull any punches when it comes to what happened during the Holocaust, but seeks to put forth a story (based primarily on actual people and events) where individuals successfully seek justice through tedious work and legal channels. While Johann Radmann's character is actually an amalgam of several public prosecutors of the time, Bauer, Gnielka and many other characters are real people, as are the former Auschwitz workers they sought.
Special features include some deleted scenes, which were interesting and clarified a few things, plus audio commentary and a hefty Q&A session with Director Giulio Ricciarelli and Actor Alexander Fehling. All are very informative and worth watching/hearing.
I'm a big history fan and have always been fascinated with WWII and especially stories of the resilient survivors of the Holocaust. Labyrinth of Lies definitely presents a different focus, but I really enjoyed the film and learned so much about Germany in the late 1950's, as opposed to the Germany of today. Ricciarelli and company have created a film that explores a lesser known aspect of German history, Auschwitz, and its workers subsequently being brought to justice. If you have interest in this time of Germany's history, you will be fascinated by Labyrinth of Lies, as it is is brilliantly acted and completely riveting. Don't be put off by the fact that the film's audio is German with English subtitles, although do be aware. It's worth having to read the subtitles and I personally think it has more punch in German.
