How do our perceptions shape history? Director Jake Paltrow uses three characters to show a historical event’s impact in “June Zero.” The film’s starting point is the 1961 trial of Nazi official Adolf Eichmann, a major Holocaust organizer. A prison guard, a police investigator, and a 13-year-old all find themselves dealing with its aftermath.
For Paltrow, the project signals something profound in his filmography.” I like to think of myself as someone who is working in personal spaces, and on the surface, this may seem like the least personal movie I’ve made, but somehow I feel it is the most personal one,” the filmmaker said.
The film’s official synopsis:
The 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann, a principal architect of the Holocaust, is revisited in a gripping and surprising new vision from American filmmaker Jake Paltrow. Based on true accounts, June Zero is told from the unique perspectives of three distinct figures: Eichmann’s Jewish Moroccan prison guard, an Israeli police investigator who also happens to be a Holocaust survivor, and a precocious and clever 13-year-old Libyan immigrant.
Entirely shot on 16mm film, Paltrow’s vividly textured work brings to life the varied experiences of these characters, emphasizing that the same historical events are often perceived differently by people around the world. “June Zero” underscores the notion that shared traumas can forge the strongest bonds and give rise to unexpected moments of triumph and connection. As the film delves into the complexities of the human experience during this pivotal trial, it serves as a poignant reminder that history’s impact can be both diverse and unifying (read our review).
Three people witness history in the new drama “June Zero.” The film debuts in New York on June 28 and in Los Angeles on July 5 via Cohen Media Group. A nationwide theatrical release is set for July 12. Watch the new trailer below.