Nackt unter Wölfen film explores Buchenwald moral dilemmas

The 1963 East German film ‘Nackt unter Wölfen’ (Naked Among Wolves) is a cinematic adaptation of Bruno Apitz’s 1958 novel, which was based on the author’s own experiences in the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Set in 1945, the story follows a Polish prisoner who arrives at Buchenwald with a three-year-old Jewish boy hidden in his suitcase. After the child is discovered by prisoners André Höfel, played by Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Rudi Pippig, the inmates face a moral dilemma. While some wish to hide and protect the boy, others fear that such an action could jeopardize a planned armed uprising against the SS.

The film is noted for its sober and clear depiction of camp life. The historical basis for the child’s survival is confirmed by the real-life case of Stefan Jerzy Zweig, a three-year-old who was liberated from Buchenwald in April 1945.