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With such a comprehensive approach, Wilkinson is able to contextualise the Holocaust in a number of inventive ways, including tracing Britain's own history of expelling and murdering Jews, as well as genocides in other countries. And it's an unnerving fact that thousands of cold-blooded mass killers freely lived for decades in their German hometowns, while others hid in plain sight in the US, UK and South America. Quite simply, justice for millions of brutally murdered innocent people wasn't a priority.

While this kind of a movie may seem difficult to watch, Wilkinson keeps everything clear-eyed and open-handed, offering a riveting broad picture unlike anything we've seen before. It's packed with heart-stopping details that continually remind us of that real human beings were both perpetrators and victims. And a tour of Berlin later on explores monuments to the various groups that were targeted for extermination. So while all of this is deeply disturbing, the film's aim is to set the record straight rather than stirring up emotions.

themes, strong imagery

27.Sep.21

It's fascinating to see Swiss author Erich von Daniken speak about hearing of Moricz's exploits and travelling to Ecuador to get involved. He wrote the 1973 book The Gold of the Gods as a result, claiming that Moricz's discoveries proved that extraterrestrials were part of ancient human history. Although he later admitted that he never visited the caves. Less controversial is Scottish author Stanley Hall's approach to Moricz's work, accompanying him on a 1976 expedition into the caves alongside Neil Armstrong. And his daughter Eileen has carried the torch more recently, as it were.

Over the course of the film, the story twists and twists again, as people step forward with more information and key figures pass on, taking secrets with them. Through all of this, the caves remain shrouded in mystery, fiercely protected by the local community. The documentary concludes with some stunning recent footage of an expedition into the cave system, even as the understanding is that the legendary treasure is somewhere else, undiscovered.

some themes

11.Aug.21

The film is slickly assembled to create a driving narrative, gaining interest as so many normal people are caught in the gravitational pull of Misha's astonishing story. And while the unfolding events are laced with secrets, Hobkinson's cheeky filmmaking also has some confessions to make along the way, leading to a particularly ingenious reveal about one of the key interviewees. The approach smartly puts our own perceptions right in the crosshairs.

As one person observes, most of the trouble here can be traced to greed, even if it isn't acknowledged as such. In wanting Misha's story to be true and to get it out to the widest audience possible, many people are complicit in a deception that's very difficult to define, simply because there's a powerful human element at work here that never allows Misha to become a villain. This is a punchy film that challenges the way we approach history and the deeper meaning of fascinating stories we hear about other peoples' lives.

themes, imagery

27.Jul.21 slf