A reenactment of a Nazi officials' meeting that coordinated government action for the destruction of Jews during the Second World War.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
The Villa and Its History
The film establishes the Wannsee villa as the setting for a reenactment of the January 20, 1942 conference. The location is now a memorial and museum.
Key Events
Historical Reenactment Begins — The film reenacts the real Wannsee Conference held on January 20, 1942.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
Wannsee Villa — The conference takes place at the villa now preserved as a memorial and museum.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
Officials Convene — German Nazi officials meet during the Second World War.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
Officials Around One Table
German Nazi officials gather during the Second World War. The meeting connects representatives of various government branches.
Key Events
Officials Convene — German Nazi officials meet during the Second World War.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
Government Branches Gather — The meeting brings together representatives of various government branches.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
Coordination Becomes Central — The conference focuses on coordinating government branches for the planned destruction of Jews.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
The Machinery of Coordination
The conference centers on coordinating government branches to carry out the destruction of Jews. Its administrative purpose becomes increasingly explicit.
Key Events
Coordination Becomes Central — The conference focuses on coordinating government branches for the planned destruction of Jews.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
Final Solution Discussed — The officials determine the so-called Final Solution to the Jewish Question.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
A Historical Crime Defined
The officials determine the so-called Final Solution to the Jewish Question. The film emphasizes that the meeting coordinated the Shoah rather than began it.
Key Events
Shoah Context Clarified — The conference is presented as coordination rather than the beginning of the Shoah.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
Destruction Coordinated — The meeting formalizes cooperation for carrying out the destruction of Jews.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
Historical Meaning Endures — The villa's present memorial function frames the historical significance of the conference.
Location: Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58
Story Breakdown
Historical Reenactment — The film reconstructs a documented conference rather than presenting an invented fictional event.
January 1942 Meeting — The reenacted meeting is identified as taking place on January 20, 1942.
Scripted Reconstruction — The reenactment is presented under director Matti Geschonneck and based on a script by Magnus Vattrodt.
Wannsee Setting — The villa provides the physical and historical setting for the conference.
Villa Gathering — The officials meet at Villa Am Großen Wannsee 56–58.
Memorial Location — The villa is now described as a memorial and museum.
Nazi Officials Meet — German Nazi officials assemble during the Second World War.
Wartime Context — The conference occurs amid the Second World War.
Official Assembly — The meeting is conducted by German Nazi officials.
Government Coordination — The central institutional purpose of the meeting is cooperation among government branches.
Branch Representatives — Various government branches are brought into the same conference.
Administrative Cooperation — The branches coordinate their roles in carrying out the planned destruction.
Final Solution Decision — The officials determine the so-called Final Solution to the Jewish Question.
Jewish Question — The stated subject of the decision is the Nazi regime's so-called Jewish Question.
Destructive Policy — The decision concerns the destruction of Jews.
Shoah Historical Context — The conference is positioned within the broader process of the Shoah.
Not The Beginning — The reference explicitly states that the conference was not the beginning of the Shoah.
Coordination Of Destruction — Its importance lies in coordinating government branches for the destruction of Jews.
On January 20, 1942, the Wannsee Conference takes place in Berlin, a meeting that had only one item on the agenda: The Final Solution, the organization of the systematic mass murder of eleven million European Jews.
