The People vs. Fritz Bauer is a German film about the tribulations of the equivalent of an embattled Attorney General’s office headed by Fritz Bauer, whom I criminally did not know about until I saw this movie. He was a remarkable man who escaped the Nazis then post Holocaust tried to get Germany to prosecute them. This film chronicles Bauer’s struggle to wrestle control of Germany’s soul from evil while reluctantly balancing his other legal duties, including prosecuting anyone who violates Paragraph 175, which criminalized sex between men.
The People vs. Fritz Bauer is progress for German films that show historical figures that worked on postwar accountability of Nazis. I was unaware when I watched Labyrinth of Lies that the film even depicted Bauer since the protagonist was a fictional character, and Bauer is a supporting character. When I watched that film, I knew it was crap, but now I am furious because what little that I now know about Bauer thanks to this movie suggests an amazing guy that I would not only have brunch with, but would be quite stalwart in post-2016 America. I loved his sardonic sense of humor when his mental stability is questioned. Bauer vents, “It feels as if the walls are collapsing on me from all sides. Hold this one up, that one up, this one up, because they’re all collapsing.” Preach! At least this film centralizes Bauer.
The People vs. Fritz Bauer’s overarching question is will Bauer be able to continue fighting or is he going to give up because there are too many obstacles and he has already done so much? It is a fair question. What is unclear in the film: is the opposition just standard bureaucracy hating anyone who is different or tries to take an office in a more dynamic, effective and functional direction; are they anti-Semitic Nazi sympathizers lashing out and trying to protect themselves and/or are they just homophobes who do not like the idea that a (necessarily) closeted gay man is their boss? Bauer was gay and Jewish at a time when both could lead to a jail or a death sentence. Bauer’s Jewishness is more at the forefront than his sexuality in this story, but his sexuality is the constant threat hanging over his head.
The People vs. Fritz Bauer deserves kudos for not being heavy-handed and didactically addressing the threat that his sexuality posed although the implication that being a former Nazi is more acceptable than being gay is the clear implication. Unfortunately German films still are rooting around to cobble together a fictional, younger character to impart its lessons. In this film, it is young Prosecuting Attorney Karl Angermann who represents the future of Germany. He could have a prosperous life, but resolutely sides with Bauer to fight the Nazis, which puts him in jeopardy, and gradually rejects the bourgeois façade of normality with great consequence. The good news is that unlike Labyrinth of Lies, which stars the pretty, but standard acting skills of Alexander Fehling, Ronald Zehrfeld, one of the best German actors of our time, plays Angermann. You would not recognize Zehrfeld because he is a chameleon, but if you enjoy great German films, you would be familiar with his superb work in Barbara and Phoenix. He takes what could have been an enervating role and injects some life into it. Also his character’s mentor-mentee chemistry with Bauer is electric.
Bauer asks Angermann, “Do you want justice or a new kitchen? If we want to do something for our country, we’ll have to betray it.” I love intergenerational/professional friendships and adored that the film did not try to multitask and inject romance into that particular relationship. If it was an American film, we would have to endure such indignities since Americans’ main idea of intimacy is sex, not an electric meeting of the minds. The provocative concept of this film is the idea that the chief law enforcement officers are aware of the injustices perpetuated by their office and must find furtive ways to break the law in order to set history on a just course. Vigilantes are not armed with weapons, but with a knowledge of the inadequacies of the law, the willingness to act outside of it and the wisdom of when and how to do so while not grandstanding or looking for credit for their good deeds, but willing to be quietly vulnerable and punished if necessary. (Believe it or not, you do not have to write a book then go on a circuit of television interviews to promote how right you are. You can just *gasp* do the right thing at the time when it will be most effective. Shocking!)
I would be interested in hearing criticism of The People vs. Fritz Bauer from a LGBTQ reviewer regarding The Crying Game storyline injected into this film. I questioned whether a possibly transgender character was given the transphobic trope treatment because it is not unusual for prejudice to be within the LGBTQ community. You can be pro L and G, but be anti-B, T and Q.
Please do not mistake and conflate my enthusiasm for The People vs. Fritz Bauer and for the actual historical figure as an unequivocal endorsement of the film. I grade on a curve, and it actually took me a couple of tries to get into this movie and watch the entire film. It kind of lost me after the initial thirty-eight minutes, but it picks up speed as it unfolds. Still if you are not into films with subtitles, you may find the effort to watch it Sisyphean. I wish that the movie solely focused on Bauer. It is clear that the film expects that viewers come to the film already knowing about Bauer because I was left asking a lot of basic questions some of which got answered as the film unfolded, but many that I had to do research after the film to discover. I also adored the silent chauffeur and would not mind having another sidequel about him just to find out how Bauer hired him, what he really knew and what he did after he stopped working for Bauer. Hire that guy if you do not want loose lips.
If it helps, The People vs. Fritz Bauer unexpectedly took a left turn and morphed into a sidequel, less-action packed, more intellectual The House on Garibaldi Street and Operation Finale as it delves into Bauer’s role in capturing Eichmann when he is not busy making the television rounds to beg the German young people not to be Nazis. “You can have the best laws, but what you need are people who actually live these democratic ideals.” Here I am rooting for Bauer to take a vacation or some sort of break, but instead he is a political, civic evangelist. Go to Denmark!
The People vs. Fritz Bauer is a foreign film that will grow on you as you watch it, but if you do not watch foreign films, are not into German post-World War II history or cannot stand not completely understand what is going on while watching the film, it may not be for you. Also there are some same sex sexual situations, but I thought it was fairly tame.