Watch The Witness House

The Witness House is a German drama movie that follows the lives of four individuals during the Nuremberg Trials that took place after the end of World War II. Directed by Matti Geschonneck, the film features a star-studded cast that includes Iris Berben, Matthias Brandt, Gisela Schneeberger, Tobias Moretti, Rosalie Thomass, Udo Samel, Vicky Krieps, Edgar Selge, Britta Hammelstein, and Matthias Matschke.

The film revolves around a small villa in Nuremberg that served as a witness house during the Nuremberg Trials. The house was used by the Allied forces to house and interrogate four Nazi criminals who played a significant role in the atrocities committed during the war. The four include Robert Ley (Matthias Brandt), who was responsible for the German Labor Front; Rudolf Hess (Edgar Selge), Hitler's deputy Führer; Julius Streicher (Matthias Matschke), the editor of the infamous anti-Semitic newspaper Der Stürmer, and Albert Speer (Tobias Moretti), Hitler's chief architect and Minister of Armaments.

The film begins with the arrival of Robert Ley, who is greeted by the housekeeper Marie-Luise Erbauer (Gisela Schneeberger) and her daughter Ursula (Rosalie Thomass). The Erbauer family, who lost their son in the war, is reluctant to host the Nazi criminal, but they have no choice as their house has been requisitioned by the American army. As time passes, the other three war criminals arrive at the house. Each of them is interrogated by a different member of the American prosecution team, including Colonel Burton C. Andrus (Udo Samel) and Lieutenant Ben Bennet (Matthias Brandt).

The film does an excellent job of exploring the psychological and emotional trauma that the witnesses and their interrogators go through during the trial. The film raises several questions about the nature of guilt, responsibility, and justice in the aftermath of the war. The characters, both the witnesses and the interrogators, are beautifully fleshed out, and the film does an excellent job of portraying their complexities.

Of particular note is the performance of Iris Berben, who plays the role of Elsie, a German-American translator and former prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. Elsie is haunted by her past and suffers from a severe case of survivor's guilt. Through her interactions with the witnesses and the interrogators, Elsie is forced to confront her trauma and come to terms with her complicity in the crimes of the Nazi regime.

The Witness House is a haunting and emotionally complex film that highlights the horrors and aftermath of the Holocaust. The performances of the entire cast are exceptional, and the film does an excellent job of sensitively exploring the complexities of the war and its aftermath. It is a worthy addition to any list of great Holocaust films and a must-watch for anyone interested in the history of the period.