Based on a true story, Wakolda tells of war criminal Josef Mengele aka the ‘Angel of Death’ (Àlex Brendemühl) hiding out with an unsuspecting family in Argentina. It’s 1960, and the doctor behind Hitler’s genetic experiments seeks to advance his work by treating the family’s underdeveloped daughter (Florencia Bado, excellent).
Well-made and well-acted, Wakolda is let down by rampant contrivances and on-the-nose metaphors (the father makes flawless dolls with mechanical hearts!). Initially looking to humanise its monster, it loses interest when Mengele’s moustache begins to twirl.
