Title: The Commandant's Shadow
Year: 2024
Genre: Documentary, History, War
Rating: 7.7
Cast: Hans-Jürgen Höss, Kai Höss, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, Rudolf Höss
Description: A hushed intimacy permeates Daniela Völker's "The Commandant's Shadow," a documentary unlike any other. Witnessing the unprecedented meeting between Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, a Holocaust survivor, and Hans-Jürgen Höss, the grandson of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, is a profoundly unsettling yet ultimately hopeful experience. The film's power lies not in sensationalism, but in the raw vulnerability of its subjects—Anita, Hans-Jürgen, and their children, Maya Lasker-Wallfisch and Kai Höss—as they grapple with inherited legacies of unimaginable suffering and unimaginable guilt. This isn't just a historical record; it's a testament to the enduring power of human connection, even across the vast chasm of unspeakable atrocities. The quiet strength of the survivors and the sincere remorse of the descendants make "The Commandant's Shadow" a must-see for anyone seeking to understand the enduring complexities of the Holocaust's aftermath.