Berlin

2 Or 3 Things I Know About Him

2 oder 3 dinge, die ich von ihm weiss (Docu -- Germany)

By EDDIE COCKRELL

A plan7 release (in Germany) of a Svarc. Film production. (International sales: Svarc. Film, Berlin.) Produced by Iva Svarcova. Directed, written by Malte Ludin.
 

Sixty years after World War II, descendants of a prominent Nazi responsible for implementing Hitler's policies in Slovakia reignite debate over their heritage in emotional docu "2 or 3 Things I Know About Him." A natural for fests both mainstream and specialized, pic's subject could also earn it some limited play dates prior to strong tube and ancillary life.

At 28, Hanns Elard Ludin controlled some 300,000 storm troopers. Eight years later, in 1941, Hitler appointed him "ambassador" to Slovakia. After the war, U.S. forces handed him over to Czechoslovak authorities, who hanged him for, among other things, a central role in exterminating Slovakia's Jewish population. Ludin's youngest son, Malte, born 1942, barely knew him. The film critic and writer decided to confront his five siblings on the subject. Most are deeply conflicted, with only elder sister Barbel flatly denying her father's culpability. Footage with his mother are central to the film (she defends her husband), and Ludin didn't accelerate production until after her death. Interviews with three victims, including Holocaust survivor and poet Tuvia Ruebner, broaden the debate. Tech credits are as immediate as the emotions on display.

Camera (color/B&W), Franz Lustig; editor, Iva Svarcova, Ludin; music, Werner Pirchner, Hakim Ludin. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Panorama), Feb. 15, 2005. Running time: 84 MIN.