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Serebrennikov’s ‘La Disparition de Josef Mengele’ Opens in France

Critics describe an unflinching immersion into the Nazi doctor’s mind that uses stark monochrome punctured by a brief color shock.

Overview

  • The feature adapts Olivier Guez’s book and screened in Cannes Première in May before its 22 October theatrical release.
  • The narrative tracks Mengele’s postwar escape through Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, noting his 1979 death in Brazil without trial.
  • August Diehl’s lead turn draws strong notices for a chilling, restrained embodiment of the fugitive.
  • Reviewers emphasize formal gambits, including predominant black‑and‑white with a sudden color sequence for Auschwitz to force confrontation.
  • Serebrennikov frames the film as a moral inquiry into the roots of evil, with a key strand focusing on Rolf Mengele’s secret 1977 visit.