This documentary is a contemplative analysis of Jürgen Bartsch, who was convicted of several counts of child torture and murder in the 1960s in the Ruhr area of Germany and died in 1976 from complications during a surgical castration. Instead of lingering on the horrific crimes and the vehemence with which they were processed in the public mind, we get to know about Jürgen Bartsch through interviews that were conducted during the early 1980s with people that knew him, including nurses, neighbours, acquaintances, victims, policemen, lawyers, journalists and psychiatrists.
What sets this approach apart from similar endeavours is that we also get to hear the inside perspective from Jürgen Bartsch himself in the form of several audio recordings that were taped in prison. He is extremely eloquent in his self-reflections, which makes listening to his descriptions a rather unique experience.
It is utterly fascinating and chilling to hear him speak about his volatile upbringing and his feelings. About his emotionally distant adoptive parents that isolated him during the first few years of his life and about their morbid cleanliness and austerity. About his experiences of getting constantly bullied by classmates in school and his developing fantasies of revenge. About his time in a strict catholic boarding school that felt more like a religious prison than an institution of learning to him. About his internalized teachings that sex and intimacy equals sin and shame. About his desire to get close to other boys and his fits of jealousy-induced rage. About his ever growing compulsion to unleash his inner beast onto his young victims. And finally, about his regrets and clear realization that he needs help to become "normal" again.
Another compelling aspect of the documentary is its illumination of the change within the field of criminal psychology in Germany during the late 1960s and early 70s on the basis of this case. The social environment that has shaped the perpetrator became much more important next to any genetic predispositions and physiological deformities in order to explain the crimes and to determine the form of punishment and the possibilities of rehabilitation.
While this documentary might be of special interest to German-speaking audiences because of the audio recordings of Jürgen Bartsch, I would definitely recommend it to non-German speakers as well, if they can find a copy with subtitles and if they want to take a deep dive into the psychology of a so-called "beast" in his own words.
