Claes Bang Stars in Kersten-Himmler Drama I Is Another
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- Felix Randau directs I Is Another, a historical drama that imagines a 1952 train trip by Heinrich Himmler’s massage therapist Felix Kersten, blending fact and fiction to examine his contested wartime role
- Claes Bang plays Felix Kersten, the physiotherapist who claimed to have saved 60,000 Jewish lives and prevented mass Dutch deportations through his access to Himmler
- Valerie Pachner portrays journalist Hedda, who confronts Kersten on the train and challenges his self-portrayal with evidence suggesting moral complicity rather than heroism
- I Is Another world premieres at the Locarno Film Festival this week, marking Randau’s return to the festival following his 2017 film Iceman
- Ostlicht Filmproduktion produces the film in co-production with WEGA Film and collaboration with Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, BR, and Arte, with Beta handling international sales
Why it matters: The film reopens debate over Kersten’s legacy at a time when historical accountability remains urgent—60,000 lives are attributed to his actions, yet no definitive consensus exists. By dramatizing the ambiguity rather than resolving it, the story shifts focus from heroism to scrutiny, centering moral complexity over closure.
