Colonia Dignidad: Eine deutsche Sekte in Chile

Really good documentary about a subject I cannot believe I didn't know anything about.

AVOID THE HORRID DUBBING, do yourself a favor and watch it with subtitles only.

Interesting well made documentary, however it is too long and slow. Some of the interviews to particular characters drag on way too long, to the point of becoming boring and sometimes ridiculous (also due to the bad american dubbing). However the last episode picks up pace and reveals more about each of the individual stories. The weird intermediate clips of the brainwashed followers sometimes seem a bit unnecessary and taken out of context.

The link to the rise to power of dictator Pinochet is particularly informative. Over all a good engaging documentary.

Recently viewed this in depth look at Paul Schafer, the founder of Colonial Dignidad.

I implore you to page down and move language to original spanish with english subtitles as it has been dubbed over in spanish because of the german spoken, giving it a very mockumentary feel as another reviewer noted.

Changing language to the original made an immense difference in my viewing of this series and found it to be excellent.

Apparently, the documentary filmmakers could not decide. There are suc parts, the interesting ones are the first and the sixth as they actually tell the story of of the colony. The middle four are about complicated history of Chile. It is mildly interesting how a colony became a charity organization and survived virtually outside of Chilean jurisdiction, but that could have been covered in 30 minutes. Worse, the filmmakers leave us with an impression that few hundred German farmers and artisans were influencing the fate of 17 millions strong nation and were involved in all sorts of sinister political activities. For example, we are told that using their charity status they were illegally importing guns. Soon after we learn that it was just one rusted submachine gun which they reverse engineered and built 50 copies for self defense. Indeed, that shook Chilean military to the core. At the same time, important details are not covered. Colonists ran a charity hospital, but who were the doctors? Colonists were forbidden to marry, but we see plenty of blind children all the time. How many colonists were there? The initial number given is 300, surely they could not dominate Chilean society. It is really a shame that documentary went off the rails so quickly as the subject is indeed fascinating.

The subject matter is interesting, but this documentary does a poor job telling it. Various interviews are chopped into small segments, and then "stitched" together in an almost incoherent story.