WRITER & DIRECTOR
Andres Veiel
Wer Wenn Nicht Wir, Black Box BRD

A probing question asked of controversial figure Leni Riefenstahl regarding her close association with Adolf Hitler being a mistake intriguingly commences this documentary shortly after its impressionable opening credits. Like the pending answer to that question, this competently made film is nothing short of being completely captivating from beginning to end.

This isn’t the first documentary to be produced where Leni Riefenstahl is the subject. In 1993, there was the 3-hour plus German documentary The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl and in 2000 the just short of an hour documentary Leni Riefenstahl: Her Dream of Africa. Footage from The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl is used in Riefenstahl, together with Leni’s legacy document collection comprising photographs, films, manuscripts, letters, files and documents dating back to the 1920s donated to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. This project also came to fruition courtesy of an interview conducted in 2002 by producer Sandra Maischberger. 

There is plenty that Leni Riefenstahl had to say in past interviews. She loved openly discussing her work as a filmmaker, writer, photographer and actress. She very willingly alleges of interest in and advances made towards her from the likes of Joseph Goebbels, the chief propogandist for the Nazi Party. Yet, when queried about the atrocities that were occurring during the years she became “Hitler’s favourite filmmaker’ and the role she played in the creation and spreading of Nazi propaganda, Leni Riefenstahl is unquestionably defensive by default. This stance is telling in itself and ultimately speaks more powerfully than most alternate words she could have opted to use. However, what I found most compelling was the outcome of a story involving theft and her father she shared from her childhood and her response to how she wishes to be remembered. These seemingly minor revelations give major insight to Leni’s psyche that help us understand (but not accept) everything else we become privy to watching this documentary. 

Riefenstahl’s narrative can be considerable to digest, but its visual presentation and music score are of cinematic quality. 

Riefenstahl is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from May 2nd – May 21st as part of the HSBC German Film Festival 2025.

Moviedoc thanks the HSBC German Film Festival and Miranda Brown Publicity for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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