Daniela Völker’s timely and poignant documentary follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the 87-year-old son of Rudolf Höss (the Commandant of Auschwitz) as he confronts his father’s terrible legacy for the first time.
Hans Jürgen Höss’ father was the Camp Commandant of Auschwitz and masterminded the murder of over a million Jews; the life of Höss and his family was recently fictionalized in the Academy Award-winning The Zone of Interest. Now, The Commandant’s Shadow tells the story of the real people who lived on site at Höss’s death camp. While Hans Jurgen Höss enjoyed a happy childhood in the family villa at Auschwitz, Jewish prisoner Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was trying to survive the notorious concentration camp.
At the heart of this film is the historic and inspiring moment – eight decades later – when the two come face-to-face. This once-in-a-lifetime feature-length documentary explores the relationships of a mother and her daughter, a father and his son, and the long shadows cast by the crimes that impact generations. It raises questions about love, guilt, and forgiveness, but is ultimately a much needed story of hope, acceptance, and compassion.
