Only half suspecting which conference this film was about, I was still not prepared for the chilling and matter of fact way these players speak of what would become the most horrifying crime in human history.
Arriving at a picturesque villa on the outskirts of Berlin, the opening scenes capture the arrival of top military and government echelon swapping anecdotes of their holidays and the local sights, most in full knowledge of the subject matter they are later to discuss. This meeting would go down in history as the “Wannsee Conference”.
Here, on the morning of 20 January 1942, members of the Nazi regime including SS, Reich Chancellery, ministries, police and administration had one topic on the agenda: the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question”; the organisation of the systematic mass murder of millions of Jews throughout Europe. The bureaucrats will complain about their lack of resources, while the militants speak of methods and protocols. It is like they are speaking of a commodity.
The dialogue is based on the actual meeting minutes as recorded by Adolf Eichmann. There are surprising, potentially new facts presented here which I’ve not heard in other documentaries. The Conference comes as close to a documentary than a narrative piece of filmmaking.
For the first 15 minutes, I debated whether to keep watching. Not so because of the production, but its subject matter. As disturbing and completely incomprehensible as it is, it is riveting viewing.
The Conference is now showing. Check your local guides for screening times.
About The Conference
Duration: 105 minutes
Rated: M
Language: German with English subtitles
Directed by Matti Geschonneck
Stars Philipp Hochmair, Johannes Allmayer, Maximilian Bruckner, Matthias Bundschuh, Fabian Busch, Jakob Diehl
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