ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF EVIL (2010)

Directed by Erik Eger & Magnus Oliv
Written by Oliver Blackburn, Joacim Starander, Magnus Oliv,& Joacim Starander
Starring Jon Rekdal, Jordi Almeida, Jack Frankel, Andrea Sooch, Hermes Marco

What if Hitler didn’t kill himself? What if, like some of the other Nazi scientists who were brought back to America after the war, he was secretly smuggled stateside? These are the questions ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF EVIL asks using documentarian and lie analyst Skule Antonsen (Jon Rekdal) as its investigator.

This is one of my absolute favorite types of films, a mockumentary that does its damndest to try to convince you that the film you are watching is real. All films try to do this in one way or another, but wearing the guise of a truth-laden documentary, the mockumentary is the ultimate in filmic deception. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF EVIL mixes all of the conspiracies of Oliver Stone’s JFK with the faux documentarism of Woody Allen’s ZELIG and comes out a winner.

I wouldn’t call this a straight up horror film, even though the notion that Hitler lived after the war and fled to the US manipulating world events up until recent years is horrific enough. But for the most part, this is a film about the truth and one man’s obsession with it. I don’t know if it’s his deadpan delivery or his accent, but Skule reminded me of Werner Herzog from another one of my favorite mockumentaries, INCIDENT AT LOCH NESS. In both of those films, the narrator is a driven man out for the truth–maybe even more so in ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF EVIL.

The film follows Skule’s obsession to uncover the truth of whether Adolf Munchhousen, a man behind such heinous crimes as a terrorist attack on Mount Rushmore, the McCarthy Red Scare trials, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and more importantly the creation of both the soap opera and fast food is actually Der Fuhrer . Part comedy, part absurdist faux-history lesson, Skule’s quest to find the truth is fascinating from beginning to end. Sometimes I was wondering if I was watching an actual documentary, which I think, is the ultimate compliment for directors Erik Eger & Magnus Oliv. If you’re looking for a twisted take on alternative history, ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF EVIL is a sure thing.

Check out the trailer here!!