Gray Matter (2004)

Synopsis: The holocaust produced many gut-wrenching sights, with the Nazi regime particularly notorious for the gruesome medical experiments they carried out. Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (PARADISE... The holocaust produced many gut-wrenching sights, with the Nazi regime particularly notorious for the gruesome medical experiments they carried out. Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (PARADISE LOST) highlights an instance of these medical atrocities with his powerful film, GRAY MATTER. In 2002, Berlinger flew to Vienna where some 700 carefully preserved brains were being buried. The brains belonged to handicapped children who had been murdered by the Nazi regime at the outbreak of the Second World War. The chief perpetrator behind these crimes was Dr. Heinrich Gross, who is alleged to have carried out many of the slayings himself, and then experimented on the brains of his victims. Known as "the Austrian Dr. Mengele," Berlinger discovers that Gross was allowed to continue his work long after the war ended, prompting the director to track down a number of people who shed some light on why these nefarious deeds were allowed to persist. Many questions are raised by GRAY MATTER, not least of which concerns why it took so long to bury the brains of these innocent victims. Ultimately Beringer's piece is a moving film that illustrates how, for many people, a sense of closure in the aftermath of the Nazi threat has been prolonged to unbearable lengths. [More]

Director: Joe Berlinger

Director: Joe Berlinger