A new independent film tackling the horrors of the Holocaust has been met with severe criticism, described by reviewers as a shockingly poor effort on nearly every cinematic level. Aryan Papers, written and directed by ultra-low-budget film-maker 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, a woman at one such facility who attempts to smuggle two Jewish children, Benjamin (Jacob Ogle) and Judith (Niamh Ogle), to safety. Her efforts are thwarted by the malicious Helga, portrayed by Leona Clarke and Cara Chase.
However, critics argue the story is undermined by Patrick's fractured editing and a confusing timeline. The production's technical flaws are glaring, with modern anachronisms like a plastic wheelie bin visible in several scenes, breaking any period immersion.
A Catalogue of Cinematic Failings
The review highlights a consistent lack of quality across all departments. The script is derided as inept, while the locations are clearly not German and lack period authenticity. Most damning is the criticism of the acting, labelled as painfully under-rehearsed and monotone, giving the impression of an amateur production.
While the film's sincerity and good intentions are noted, the consensus is that the execution is so lacking it becomes an insult to the memory of Holocaust victims. The review draws a stark contrast between this project and the famous unmade Stanley Kubrick film of the same name, based on Wartime Lies by Louis Begley.
Lost in the Shadow of Giants
The article notes that Kubrick reportedly abandoned his Aryan Papers project partly due to fears it would be overshadowed by Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. The reviewer wryly suggests that director Luca Guadagnino, who is rumoured to be reviving Kubrick's project, has nothing to fear from this version. Patrick's film is compared unfavourably to his previous work, The Film Festival, also criticised as embarrassingly bad.
Ultimately, Aryan Papers is presented as a well-meaning but catastrophically failed attempt to address a profound historical tragedy, likely to be forgotten swiftly after its release.
