Director Vadim Perlman was drawn to the project because of his own Jewish heritage. He felt the subject of the Holocaust "needs to be touched in some way and then let go". Most films portray Nazis as robots, but he wanted to go beyond that and create a humanized image of the Nazi, someone who felt jealous, feared, and loved just like everyone else, and who showed that the Holocaust was not a particular politics or the product of a historical moment, but can happen in any country, at any time
.
One of the film's co-stars, Lars Eidinger, thought that a non-German Vadim Perlmann would do a better job directing such a film than the Germans, some of whom are afraid to face history. He also chose to star in the film because he was raised in an environment where a lot of people insisted that the Holocaust was a thing of the past and had nothing to do with their generation and shouldn't feel guilty about it. And being German, that thought made him feel hurt, and for him, starring in the film was a way of healing, especially when
.
Extended Reading
-
Klaus Koch: [Koch took Gilles back after he was put to move to another camp] You would risk your life for those nameless people.
Gilles: Those aren't nameless. Just because you don't know their names. At least they aren't murderers.
Klaus Koch: I'm not a murderer.
Gilles: No. You just make sure that the murderers eat well.
-
Klaus Koch: As long as you work for me nothing will happen to you. I bet 20 cans of meat that nothing will happen to you.
Gilles: Too bad I won't be able to eat them since I'll be dead.