IFI STF DOC FEST - short review - CLOSE TO EVIL by Gerry Gregg

Unfocused and incomplete. Director Gerry Gregg once again follows Tomi Reichental, holocaust survivor living in Ireland, in his quest to meet one of the SS Guards that kept him captive at Berger Belsen concentration camp. The subject of the search for a historical meeting and possible redeeming moment is interesting and the film has its fair share of harrowing intimate moments. However, Close to Evil is deeply flawed by the fact that while Reichental himself is not bitter nor hateful the film comes across as full of spite and revenge. In the end, it offers no rewarding conclusion. In its defense, we can say that it was presented at the Stranger Than Fiction documentary film festival as a work in progress, but if they truly want to get an interview with the 91 year old former SS Guard, they might want to consider changing the title at least...