TEHRAN- “Nuremberg”, a 2025 movie by American film director and screenwriter James Vanderbilt, will be reviewed at the Arasbaran Cultural Center in Tehran on Sunday evening. 

Film critic Kourosh Jahed is set to attend a screening of the film followed by a review session.

“Nuremberg” is a psychological thriller and historical drama, adapted from “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai. 

The film explores the fraught psychological duel between U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, played by Rami Malek, and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, portrayed by Russell Crowe. Blending courtroom drama with intimate character study, the film examines not only the prosecution of Nazi crimes but also the moral ambiguities and personal costs faced by those tasked with confronting them.

The story begins on May 8, 1945, one day after Nazi Germany’s surrender. Göring, once Adolf Hitler’s second-in-command, surrenders to American forces in Austria. His capture becomes pivotal as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Robert H. Jackson moves to establish an unprecedented international tribunal to prosecute surviving Nazi leaders for war crimes. Despite skepticism within American political circles—many of whom favor summary executions—Jackson champions the legal process, envisioning it as a foundational moment in international law. His determination leads to the formation of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany.

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Douglas Kelley is summoned to Bad Mondorf, Luxembourg, where twenty-two high-ranking Nazi officials are detained. Reporting to prison warden Col. Burton Andrus, Kelley’s assignment is to evaluate the prisoners’ mental states to determine their competency to stand trial. Assisted by interpreter Sergeant Howard Triest, Kelley conducts interviews with Göring and others, including Robert Ley, Julius Streicher, and Rudolf Hess. While some prisoners respond with hostility and contempt, Göring proves urbane, intelligent, and manipulative. Kelley becomes both fascinated and unsettled by Göring’s charisma and psychological complexity. Privately, he entertains ambitions of publishing a revealing book based on his observations.

As preparations for the Nuremberg Trials proceed, Jackson and British prosecutor David Maxwell Fyfe assemble charges of crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy. Kelley’s interactions with Göring grow increasingly personal. Göring assists Kelley in evaluating Hess and requests permission to correspond with his wife Emmy and daughter Edda. Kelley facilitates these exchanges, gradually forming a troubling rapport with the Nazi leader.

Tensions escalate when Robert Ley commits suicide in his cell, prompting the arrival of psychologist Gustave Gilbert to provide additional oversight. The trial opens with Jackson delivering a powerful statement asserting the necessity of legal accountability for unprecedented crimes. The defendants plead not guilty. During the proceedings, graphic documentary footage of concentration camps is presented in court, profoundly affecting Kelley. Confronting Göring afterward, Kelley is disturbed by Göring’s calm denials and moral deflections. Göring dismisses the atrocities or equates them with alleged Allied wrongdoing, revealing a chilling absence of remorse.

Under mounting stress, Kelley begins drinking heavily. In a moment of carelessness, he discloses confidential conversations with Göring to a journalist, resulting in public exposure. Enraged, Andrus relieves Kelley of his duties. Before departing, however, Triest reveals that he is a German-born Jew whose parents were murdered by the Nazis, underscoring the personal stakes behind the tribunal. His words about society’s passivity in the face of evil compel Kelley to reconsider his detachment.

Returning to assist the prosecution, Kelley submits his private notes to Jackson and Fyfe, correctly predicting that Göring intends to manipulate the courtroom to defend Nazi ideology. During cross-examination, Göring initially outmaneuvers Jackson, boldly reframing the regime’s policies and asserting loyalty to Hitler. However, Fyfe ultimately exploits Göring’s vanity, provoking admissions that expose his unwavering allegiance and moral culpability. Göring is sentenced to death by hanging.

Before the execution, Kelley visits Göring for a final time, finally grasping the depth of his subject’s self-delusion and ruthlessness. On October 15, 1946, Göring commits suicide by cyanide, denying the tribunal its final act of justice. The remaining executions proceed.

The film concludes with Kelley returning to the United States, where he publishes “22 Cells in Nuremberg”. 

SAB/