Jake Paltrow revisits Adolf Eichmann’s trial through various perspectives in the recently released June Zero, now on Blu-ray and DVD.

After missing the film in late June and early July, I opted to make it my second Tisha B’Av film of the day. After all, it’s a film relating to the Eichmann trial, right? There is certainly no shortage of films about the Holocaust or Israel’s early years. One thing that sets this one apart is that they film it entirely in 16mm. What Paltrow and co-writer Tom Shoval manage to do is revisit the trial’s aftermath through a few figures in particular. They are Hiam (Yoav Levi), Eichmann’s Jewish Moroccan prison guard; Micha (Tom Hagi), a Holocaust survivor now working as an Israeli police investigator; and David Saada (Noam Ovadia), a 13-year-old Libyan immigrant. Paltrow could have made this film entirely in English but he opted to tell the story in Hebrew. It lends a lot of authenticity.

Haim ends up guarding Eichmann because of the fact that he’s Mizrahi. He’s the main one that the film focuses on throughout its run time. Most Jews who survived the Holocaust were Ashkenazi and the Israeli government had a real fear of a survivor going forward with assassinating the Nazi commander. As such, only Mizrahim were in a position of guarding him in prison. Haim basically becomes our eyes and ears when it comes to Eichmann. It’s a genius decision that we only hear Eichmann’s voice or see him from behind. In any event, the pressure gets to Haim because there are sequences where he sees things that are not there–like when the barber is cutting hair.

Shlomi Zebco’s (Tzahi Grad) company is responsible for the building of the oven used to cremate Eichmann’s body plays a key role in the film. Obviously, he received the death sentence for his crimes against humanity during the Holocaust. But what was Israel going to do with his body after the trial and appeals and subsequent hanging on June 1, 1962? Cremate and spread the ashes outside of Israeli waters, apparently. If the film is to be believed, they used the same exact blueprints as the crematoriums in Auschwitz. In any event, there are in a race to get the job done.

Finally, we have Micha and his investigation, which takes the film to Poland. Micha meets Ada (Jou Rieger) while in Poland. We never see any recreations of his experiences. This is the right choice by the filmmakers. Again, the amount of Holocaust cinema in existence is very vast. Anyway, the two clearly have their own differences in commemorating Holocaust. He believes in the importance of every survivor telling their story. Their stark differences speak to something going through the minds of many survivors during this era. A good amount stayed silent and moved on with their lives. It really wasn’t until Steven Spielberg directed Schindler’s List and formed the USC Shoah Foundation in which more people came forward.

The whole genesis behind the film is rather fascinating. Paltrow gets his interest in World War II and Jewish history from his father. Interestingly enough, the tipping off point is how do you cremate a body in a country where both Jewish and Muslim cultures frown upon cremation. Also, the smart decision is to not focus on the trial itself. We’ve seen it play out so many times. Most recently, we saw it in Operation Finale. Paltrow and Shoval wisely opt to focus on what happens after the fact–as they should.

When all is said and done, June Zero portrays a historic period in Israel in a way that’s different from the history books.

DIRECTOR: Jake Paltrow
SCREENWRITERS: Jake Paltrow & Tom Shoval
CAST: Tzahi Grad, Yoav Levi, Tom Hagi, Ami Smolarchik, Joy Rieger, Noam Ovadia, Rotem Keinan, Adam Gabay, Koby Aderet, Yaakov Daniel Zada, Niv Majar, Sharon Alexander, Alon Newman, Moa Koller

Cohen Media Group released June Zero in theaters on June 28, 2024. Grade: 4/5

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