Factually accurate yet still earnest in its mission, Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate delivers what it promises. While the title comes from the club's name, the film is less about the club and more about the LGBTQ+ experience in Nazi Germany. To do this, the documentary focuses on Eldorado's individual patrons. Directors Benjamin Cantu and Matt Lambert interweave their stories with historical context. For example, patrons like trans pioneers Charlotte Charlaque and Toni Ebel shed light on historical advancements for the LGBTQ+ community. While it can be overwhelming when Eldorado introduces its patrons and their lovers and their political rivals, the film stays focused on what it sets out to do. Eldorado remains an important reminder of the LGBTQ lives lost and the love that still remains.
Synopsis
A glittery nightclub in 1920s Berlin becomes a haven for the queer community in this documentary exploring the freedoms lost amid Hitler’s rise to power.
Storyline
When Hitler rose to power, the Eldorado stood as a safe haven for Nazi Germany’s LGBTQ+ community. This film is about its patrons.
TLDR
It really IS everything that the Nazis hate.
What stands out
Making a documentary like Eldorado is challenging. Due to mass genocide, many stories from Weimar Republic’s LGBT community have been lost to history. Despite the challenge, Eldorado commits to telling their stories. The documentary even takes it a step further by capturing not just the facts, but by capturing the love that must have been shared in the Eldorado. The film recreates how the club would have felt, recreating the lights, sparkle, and 1920s jazz dancing of the club performers and dancers. The film also recreates the soft intimate moments of the first time lovers have met in the club, in soft hazy lighting and slow-motion glances. While the uglier moments, the moments that the Nazis gleefully documented, are still present here, the documentary only limits them to existing photos and newspaper clippings. Love, truth, and survival reign supreme in this film.
