10/10/2024 - Michael Krummenacher directs a rebellious and ambiguous character who’s also the victim of a society which refutes diversity in all its forms

The Traitor, the latest directorial effort by the Swiss filmmaker living in Munich Michael Krummenacher which was presented in a world premiere within the Zurich Film Festival’s Gala Premières section, transports us with merciless determination into a past which Switzerland would rather forget. Heading up this drama which occasionally morphs into a musical is the mysterious and deliciously ambiguous Ernst Schrämli, a kind of ante litteram hippy who dreams of a future where war is but a distant memory. Intent on wrestling with a delicate chapter in his country’s history, Michael Krummenacher is fearless in depicting the nebulousness and cruelty of characters living through a historic time when the term “humanity” had lost all meaning.

The story told by The Traitor unfolds in San Gallo during the Second World War, set against a climate of tension and increasingly oppressive violence. Hoping to become a great singer in Germany, a young dreamer by the name of Ernst Schrämli (Dimitri Krebs) finds himself drawn into underhand dealings. Determined to escape a suffocating environment which annihilates any kind of creative or artistic impetus, Ernst Schrämli sells information about the Swiss army to a Nazi spy by the name of August Schmid (Fabian Hinrichs), who charms and manipulates him. When Ernst’s crime is uncovered, he is sentenced to death for espionage and treason, becoming the first Swiss citizen to be executed.

The Traitor is a film based on real events, telling the touching yet troubling story of a young idealist from the provinces who was exploited and betrayed during World War Two. In fact, Ernst Schrämli was the first of the 17 traitors in Swiss history to actually be executed. The movie explores the final years of this boy wavering between moral integrity and personal gain, whose life helps to highlight the ambiguous relationships Switzerland had with its neighbours during the Second World War.

Ernst is a free spirit born in the wrong place at the wrong time, an artist at heart who never gives up on his dreams in spite of all the danger and intimidation. Frantically searching for his path in life and for recognition as a human being, Ernst falls into the arms of a murky character who exploits his naivety to his own advantage. A victim of his own ideals, our protagonist has to contend with a society which will stop at nothing to save face. He’s a dreamer whose wings have been clipped, a hyper-sensitive being overcome with feelings which he doesn’t know how to keep under control nor want to, because The Traitor is also a heartrending portrait of an impossible homosexual relationship which turns into a lethal trap. Ernst and August’s relationship is clearly opaque and, at times, unhealthy but it has to be taken within the context of the time in which it took root and unfurled, when homosexuality was considered a defect, a flaw to be eliminated, refuted and silenced at all costs. Ernst doesn’t see it this way and he allows himself to be guided by feelings he can no longer control, no matter the price to pay.

The Traitor sees Ernst Schrämli coming out, he becomes part of a historic past which has to be considered in all its complexity. Stepping into the shoes of this highly sensitive character with touching realism is Zurich-based musician Dimitri Krebs in his first ever acting role. His expressive face and shifty yet penetrating eyes lend the character an extra layer of humanity, as if the past had taken hold of the present. The Traitor is sometimes dark and desperate but, thanks to Ernst, it’s a film that never loses its light.

The Traitor was produced by Contrast Film, Letterbox Filmproduktion, Amalia Film and Gretchenfilm.

(Translated from Italian)