After a failed escape attempt from a concentration camp, a prisoner is in the hands of a Nazi SS Officer
WELTSCHMERZ is an emotionally-charged drama about a concentration camp prisoner and the SS officer who intends to make an example out of her for the rest of the camp. Meanwhile, two children play at a German creek, far from the horrors of the Holocaust. Carefully crafted by Christian Walsh, the film takes us on an unexpected journey and spreading our range of emotions with its heavy twists.
After writing the first draft of Weltschmerz and looking at it as a director for the first time, it was a daunting project. To date, it was the most difficult production I’ve helmed, and an experience I’m very grateful for. I took the script to my partner/producer Julia Dillard, who developed it with me for several months before taking it into pre-production as an advanced special project through San Diego State University. We were Juniors at the time, and it was a large production to undertake, but a worthy one – we wanted to create an impactful film that served as a warning against blind hate and gives the audience a new perspective. The project was created by many talented cast and crew members for two shooting sessions over the course of a year, and completed in the UK by a fantastic sound design team and Emmy-nominated composer. The final product is complex, violent, dark – but it has to be this way to properly reflect the human history it is based on. I’m so grateful for everyone who worked on this film, and the opportunity to tell this story.