The German Neighbor

In 1960, the residents of a working-class Buenos Aires suburb were shocked to learn that Roberto Klement, a German immigrant who was well regarded within the community, had been kidnapped and spirited to Israel, where he was revealed to be the fugitive Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. Filmmakers Martín Liji and Rosario Cervio’s meditative quasi-documentary considers the perception of good and evil through the life of a man who personified the darkest event of the 20th century. The central character in the film is Renate Liebeskind (played by Antonella Saldicco), a young German translator living in Argentina who is hired to translate a documentary film of the 1961 Eichmann trial into Spanish. But Renate’s reaction to the footage puzzles her—on trial, the bald and bespectacled Eichmann never gives the impression of a crazed murderer. To understand this strange disconnect, she embarks on her own study by tracking down historians and reporters who have greater understanding of the story, as well as Eichmann’s former neighbors in Argentina who were unaware of his infamous past. The film presents extensive footage from the Eichmann trial, including testimony by Holocaust survivors who detail the horrors unleashed by the Nazis. Unfortunately, the pacing is leisurely bordering on meandering, and it is a shame that Liji and Cervio did not pursue a more straightforward documentary approach. Still, viewers unaware of the Eichmann story will find this to be a decent introduction. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)