The Accountant of Auschwitz (2018)

In the shadowy recesses of history, the trial of Oskar Gröning, famously known as the "Accountant of Auschwitz," unfolds in a courtroom in Germany. Now a frail man of 93, Gröning once oversaw the collection of valuables from Jewish prisoners, a chilling memory from a time when humanity was held hostage by horrifying atrocities. Seven decades post-war, the trial against Gröning, one of the last surviving members of the SS, grapples with the complex morality of prosecuting Nazi war crimes. As he stands accused of the murder of 300,000 Jews, the world watches with bated breath, his trial spiraling into a riveting spectacle of global headlines. The courtroom becomes a battlefield of moral quandaries, where the question of complicity in the face of orders takes center stage. For some, Gröning's frailty in the last chapters of his life is no excuse; for others, the pursuit of charges against him seems redundant. The intricate tapestry of Gröning's trial is woven together with the history of the prosecution of Nazi war criminals. Despite the 800,000 Germans implicated in the SS by war's end, only a fraction ever faced life sentences, a chilling testament to the post-war reluctance to revisit such inhumane acts. The film explores the ripple effects of the trial of John Demjanjuk, a guard at Sobibor, who was erroneously identified as Ivan the Terrible, a notorious Auschwitz guard. His case set a landmark precedent in German law, arguing that anyone involved in the detention of prisoners in extermination camps, regardless of their role, was complicit in murder. "The Accountant of Auschwitz" navigates the labyrinth of these legal proceedings, spotlighting the story of Gröning, whose low-level position at Auschwitz has its own unique narrative twists. As survivors journey to Germany to testify, the dark shadows of the Holocaust refuse to fade, their stories manifesting the haunting reality of the past. The film serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of remembering history in order to prevent its repetition. The trial of the Accountant of Auschwitz, unfolding in the heart of contemporary society, is a stark exploration of justice, morality, and the timeless quest for truth.

The Accountant of Auschwitz is a crime movie featuring Jeff Ansell and directed by Matthew Shoychet.

The Accountant of Auschwitz is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Filmzie, Freevee, Kanopy, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Plex, Plex Player, Pluto TV, Popflick, The Roku Channel and Tubi TV and it's also available on Hoopla.

It is also possible to buy The Accountant of Auschwitz on Amazon Video.