JIFF: The Disappearance of Josef Mengele

Das Verschwinden des Josef Mengele

“[a] stylishly executed espionage thriller.” – Screen Daily

“Impressively crafted … – The Hollywood Reporter

Australian Premiere

Based on the award-winning novel by Olivier Guez, The Disappearance of Josef Mengele imagines the postwar life of the infamous Nazi officer whose horrific medical experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz earned him the nickname ‘Angel of Death’. It follows Mengele’s time spent hiding out in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil under a series of aliases, growing increasingly paranoid as he kept constant vigilance for Mossad officers hunting him down. When his son, Rolf, finds him again after years spent apart, Mengele is forced to confront the past he can no longer outrun.

Directed by Russian dissident filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov, who relocated to Germany after his country invaded Ukraine, this is a highly stylised film shot almost entirely in striking black-and-white and using immersive extended takes. August Diehl (A Hidden Life) gives an impeccable performance in the lead role as one of the most reviled figures in world history.

Rating

Unclassified 18+

Duration

136 min

Country

France, Germany, Mexico, United States, United Kingdom

Language

German, Spanish, Portuguese (English subtitles)

Cast

August Diehl, Friederike Becht, Burghart Klaußner

Director

Kirill Serebrennikov