My Dear Republic

The story of Austrian Friedrich Zawrel begins in Vienna in 1941 when, at the age of twelve, this “problem child” was shut away in the notorious Splegelgrund pediatric neurological clinic. Here during the Second World War, the Nazis tortured to death over 800 children. Zawrel managed to survive, but his four years under the supervision of pitiless doctors took their toll on his mental health. For minor thefts he ended up spending a total of 20 years in various prisons. When he was tried for the last time in 1974, he recognised, in a prominent forensic psychiatrist, Austrian Nazi physician Heinrich Gross from Splegelgrund. His letters to the then Justice Minister received no response, and it was only with the help of journalists that he was able to point a finger at Gross’s past. But even then, government officials did nothing. The turbulent story of charismatic Friedrich Zawrel demonstrates how onerously and reluctantly Austria tries to come to terms with its gloomy past. (source: catalogue Karlovy Vary IFF)