History, Historical Fiction, and Historical Myth: \u27The German Doctor\u27 by Lucía Puenzo

Abstract

The escape of thousands of war criminals to Argentina and throughout South America in the aftermath of World War II is a historical subject that has been clouded with mystery and conspiracy. Lucía Puenzo\u27s film, The German Doctor, utilizes this historical enigma as a backdrop for historical fiction by imagining a family\u27s encounter with Josef Mengele, the notorious SS doctor from Auschwitz who escaped to South America in 1949 under a false identity. While Puenzo sought to tell a story within a historical context, the film still has important historical commentaries. Ultimately, The German Doctor demonstrates the intersections of history, historical fiction, and historical myth as it perpetuates false conceptions and conspiracies and creates a new field of pseudo-history despite its historical fiction label