Wakolda, also known as “The German Doctor,” presents a compelling narrative centered around Josef Mengele’s manipulative presence within an unsuspecting Argentinian family. The film initially draws attention to Mengele’s interaction with their 12-year-old daughter, Lileth, and his proposition of growth hormone treatment. However, the movie deliberately obscures whether Mengele’s interest stems from genuine medical assistance or a sinister continuation of his abhorrent experiments. Throughout the film, Mengele skillfully manipulates Lileth’s parents, exploiting their vulnerabilities with promises of improving Lileth’s health, easing the mother’s pregnancy discomfort, and even offering financial support to the father’s doll-making venture.
The film employs the doll-making business as a somewhat unsubtle metaphor for Mengele’s disturbing obsession with creating a “perfect” race. Furthermore, the nature of Mengele’s relationship with Lileth remains ambiguous, contributing to a sense that director Puenzo only scratches the surface of a much deeper, more unsettling story unfolding within the family’s confined world.
Hints of lingering Nazism permeate Lileth’s German school, a thematic element that the film regrettably fails to fully investigate. Similarly, the character of Nora, portrayed as an archivist, photographer, and Israeli agent, feels underdeveloped. The movie only briefly touches upon the crucial role of Mossad and its influence on the actions of both Mengele and Nora. The presence of a Nazi group operating from a nearby country house is not clarified until Eva, the mother, requires the assistance of a Nazi clinic during childbirth, further suggesting unexplored narrative threads.
Ultimately, “Wakolda” feels constrained by its limited exploration of these rich underlying themes. Expanding the film’s runtime by even half an hour to delve deeper into these expositional dramas could have significantly heightened the suspense and impact. As it stands, Wakolda remains an intriguing and darkly atmospheric drama, yet it ultimately lacks the profound depth that a more expansive approach could have offered.
