Review: Look Who’s Back Offers Disturbing Satire

By Harrison Moore · September 8, 2016

Look Who's Back, original German title "Er Ist Wieder Da", combines unscripted man-on-the-street performance, a drama plot, and traditional mockumentary in a darkly funny comment on modern political sentiments.

In 2014, Adolf Hitler inexplicably wakes up on the site of his former bunker, and begins his exploration of the new Germany. He is shocked by the state of affairs, describing Angela Merkel as having "the charisma of a wet noodle", and the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) as "Bavarian social drinkers". In order to get the most out of the film's political satire, viewers west of the Atlanctic ought to keep in mind that many of the political terms used here differ slightly in their meaning. The term "liberal", for example, refers to "classical liberalism", as opposed to the "modern liberalism" of the United States.

The film has an independent-film aesthetic, with a quirky premise, grainy shots, and an unpolished script that contributes to its "mockumentary" leaning. At some points, the same scene is told by multiple storytellers simultaneously: Hitler narrates his experiences, his "chauffeur" Sawatzki follows him with a rolling camera, and some of the footage makes its way to national television.

The supporting characters are simple, but effective. Fabian Sawatzki, the news reporter who discovers Hitler, is a weak, crawling man whose experience shuttling the dictator across Germany puts some iron in his backbone, enough to ask a coworker out on a date, and insist on his superiors allowing him to make a film version of Hitler's new autobiography. Conflict builds between two news executives, one dedicated to capitalizing on Hitler's fame, the other revealing Hitler's shady actions in an attempt to regain his managerial position.

Research on the film is disturbing: in the film, Hitler converses with people on the street, most of whom heartily agree with his views that all non-Germans should be treated with contempt, and that the government should be put in the hands of one man: himself. As the story progresses, people salute him, take selfies with him, embrace him, even beg him to bring back labor camps. Only one man opposes him, stating that Hitler should be run out of town. This footage is not staged: when the actor, Oliver Masucci, walked down the sidewalk in his costume, these were the reactions of those he encountered.

The film's assertion that a society will elect another Adolf Hitler if certain feelings are put into action, is disconcerting, but well executed, and overall, Look Who's Back provides a fresh look at the lingering effects of the ideas that established Nazi Germany.