The Commandant's Shadow

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 is the first time the descendant of a major war criminal meets a survivor in such a private and intimate setting, Anita’s London living room. Together with their children, Kai Höss and Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, the four protagonists explore their very different hereditary burdens.

Cast

Hans-Jürgen Höss

Self

Kai Höss

Self

Anita Lasker-Wallfisch

Self

Maya Lasker-Wallfisch

Self

Rudolf Höss

Self (archive footage)

Adolf Hitler

Self (archive footage)