LABYRINTH OF LIES

Blu-ray+digital HD Sony

½ out of 5 Based on the true story of German prosecutors who in the late 1950s started to bring to justice former Nazis who had served at the infamous Auschwitz death camp during the Second World War, Labyrinth of Lies is a lowkey, but powerful film.

Those young prosecutors forced the German people to face up to the horrors of Nazism and began a quest for justice that continues to this day — last summer, a 94-year-old former SS officer and administrative worker at Auschwitz was sentenced to four years in prison for “facilitating mass murder.”

The story is told through the eyes of young prosecutor Johann Radman (played by Alexander Fehling), who is at first curious about stories of Auschwitz — a subject not talked about in postwar Germany. He is shocked to discover the Nazis left meticulous records of their activities and begins a legal process that threatens national unity and his own career.

Good performances and attention to period detail make this a valuable documentary-style film. It is in German with English subtitles.

A featurette is included.