Sounds from the Fog

In a radically personal documentary approach, Klaus Stanjek’s film Sounds from the Fog chronicles the odyssey of a gay musician in Nazi Germany. Stanjek’s cheerful Uncle Willi, a musician, lived with his family. Only when Willi turned 90 did Stanjek detect what his whole family had hidden: that Uncle Willi had spent eight years in Nazi camps and that he was gay.

Sounds from the Fog follows the complex turns and feelings of Stanjek’s family when they confront the threatening knowledge of Uncle Willi. The film works as a compelling account of the director’s own family history and the phenomenon of German repression of WWII memories. Stanjek delves into the personal and political life of his beloved uncle, a talented singer and accordion player, in a chronicle that is one part historical inquiry and one part fascinating detective story. This insightful and personal film offers a beloved and fascinating portrait of a man and a time, while uncovering both personal and historical repressions.