Hafners Paradies

A portrait of ex-S.S. officer Paul Hafner, who moved to Madrid under Franco in 1945 and has no moral qualms about his past. Eighty-three-years-old, fit, and active, Paul Hafner would be the model octogenarian if he weren't penning a book called Hitler For Eternity. Günter Schwaiger's subversive documentary chronicles the day-to-day life of this former S.S. officer and Holocaust denier, now in his fifth decade as a resident of Madrid, who considers his life-past and present-perfect. Schwaiger's portrait of this self-described "SuperGerman" avoids casting easy judgment. As the film tries to find Hafner's conscience and confront his unwavering beliefs, it also uncovers an underground society of unapologetic Nazi expats tugging at our morals with their kind camaraderie, tasteful luncheons, and assurances that Hitler was "ever so reasonable." We may empathize when Hafner finds himself shunned by friends unwilling to risk associating with him on camera, but that fades to a chill when he meets a concentration camp survivor and compliments the man that he "survived very well."