A new independent film tackling the horrors of the Holocaust has been met with severe criticism, branded a shockingly poor effort that fails to honour its weighty subject matter. Aryan Papers, written and directed by ultra-low-budget filmmaker Danny Patrick, was released on digital platforms on 26 January.
A Confused and Poorly Executed Narrative
The film is set in 1942 Stuttgart and revolves around the Lebensborn programme, a Nazi initiative to breed racially pure Aryan children. The plot follows Gisella, played by Celia Learmonth, as she attempts to smuggle two Jewish youngsters, Benjamin and Judith (Jacob and Niamh Ogle), to safety. Her efforts are thwarted by the sinister Helga, portrayed by Leona Clarke and Cara Chase.
However, critics argue the story is undermined from the outset by inept filmmaking. The editing is described as fractured and confusing, while the use of locations is notably lazy. A particularly glaring error is the appearance of modern plastic wheelie bins in several shots, completely breaking the period illusion of 1940s Germany.
Technical and Performative Shortcomings
The criticism extends to every technical aspect of the production. The script is likened to something written on the back of a beer mat, and the acting throughout is panned as painfully under-rehearsed and monotone. There is a sense that the cast, with Learmonth singled out as one of the more able performers, were struggling valiantly with subpar material.
The review suggests the film has the amateurish feel of a project cast via an advert in a newsagent's window, with participants paid in sandwiches and soda pop. While acknowledging a sincerity of intent, the consensus is that the final product is so poorly executed it borders on being an insult to the memory of Holocaust victims.
Distinct from Kubrick's Unmade Project
It is important to distinguish this film from the famous unmade project of the same name. That version, based on Louis Begley's novel Wartime Lies, was a passion project for the late director Stanley Kubrick for years before he abandoned it. Director Luca Guadagnino has since been rumoured to be reviving it.
Both projects take their name from the Ariernachweis, the Nazi certificate required to prove one was not Jewish. Reportedly, Kubrick shelved his film partly due to fears it would be overshadowed by Schindler's List, much as Full Metal Jacket was by Platoon. The review wryly notes that Guadagnino, should his film ever materialise, will have no such competition from Patrick's effort, which it predicts will be forgotten within a week.
Ultimately, Aryan Papers joins Danny Patrick's earlier work, The Film Festival, in being cited as an example of profoundly lacking cinema. Despite its worthy historical setting and themes, the film is condemned as a failure on virtually every level, from its production values to its tone, offering a viewing experience as historically jarring as the sight of a wheelie bin in Nazi Germany.
