‘Devastating’ war film praised as a must-watch is now streaming on Netflix
A Spanish war drama based on the true story of a photographer imprisoned at a Nazi concentration camp has returned to Netflix, giving viewers another chance to see one of the most difficult and emotionally confronting films about Mauthausen.
The Photographer of Mauthausen (El fotógrafo de Mauthausen) was released in 2018 and is directed by Mar Targarona. The 110-minute historical drama stars Mario Casas as Francesc Boix, a Catalan Republican photographer who was imprisoned at the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Austria during the Second World War.
The film follows Boix as he uses his position working with photography inside the camp to preserve evidence of the atrocities taking place there. He and other prisoners risk their lives to hide photographic negatives that could expose what happened behind the camp’s walls. Netflix describes the story as being based on true events.
The subject matter makes for extremely difficult viewing, but the film has attracted strong praise for the way it brings Boix’s story to the screen.
A story built around photographs that could reveal the truth
Boix’s photographs form the heart of the film. Working within the camp’s photographic service gives him access to images documenting Nazi atrocities, but keeping those negatives safe becomes increasingly dangerous.
The story therefore combines the horrors of life inside Mauthausen with the prisoners’ efforts to preserve evidence of what was happening there.
The real photographs were significant after the war. According to the Spanish Academy of Cinema, the negatives saved by Boix and his fellow prisoners were later used as evidence at the Nuremberg Trials in 1946, where Boix became an important witness.
That historical importance gives the film a particularly grim sense of purpose. The photographs are not simply objects within the story. They represent an attempt to ensure that the crimes committed inside the camp could not be denied.
Critics found it vivid and deeply unsettling
The film currently holds an 86% Tomatometer score from seven critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews highlighting its intensity and emotional impact.
Jason Bailey of The New York Times called the film “Vivid, involving and frequently terrifying.” Tess Cagle of The Daily Dot praised it as a “heart-wrenching love letter to photography” and its ability to preserve truth in a confusing world.
Audience reactions have been similarly strong. One Rotten Tomatoes reviewer described it as a moving account of the experiences of Spanish antifascists imprisoned at Mauthausen and stressed the importance of films that ensure the atrocities of the Second World War are not forgotten.
Another viewer compared the film with Schindler’s List, praising its stark recreation of real events and the detailed way it brings the photographs associated with Boix’s story to life.
The same reviewer warned that the film is exceptionally difficult to watch because of how faithfully it recreates the brutality of the camp. For them, its historical value made it essential viewing despite its distressing subject matter.
A film recognised for its production
The Photographer of Mauthausen was also recognised at the 2019 Gaudí Awards, where it received four wins.
Those awards went to Eduard Vallès and Hanga Kurucz for production management, Rosa Ros for art direction, Mercè Paloma for costume design, and Caitlin Acheson and Jesús Martos for makeup and hairstyling. The film also received nominations in several other categories, including Best Film in a Non-Catalan Language, Best Actor for Mario Casas and Best Supporting Actor for Alain Hernández.
The production was filmed in locations including Barcelona, Cardedeu, Terrassa, Torrebonica and Budapest, with Aitor Mantxola responsible for cinematography.
Mario Casas plays Boix alongside Richard van Weyden and Alain Hernández, while Macarena Gómez, Eduard Buch and Stefan Weinert are also among the cast.
A difficult watch with lasting impact
There is little about The Photographer of Mauthausen that could be described as easy viewing. Its violence and depiction of life inside the concentration camp are deliberately confronting, while the performances keep the story grounded in the experiences of the prisoners.
That unflinching approach is a major reason the film has stayed with viewers. Rather than treating the photographs as distant historical artefacts, it places the audience alongside the people who risked everything to preserve them.
For anyone looking for a serious historical drama rather than light entertainment, the film offers a sobering account of Francesc Boix and the extraordinary danger surrounding his attempt to document the crimes committed at Mauthausen.
The Photographer of Mauthausen is currently available to stream on Netflix.