“They were not comrades,” writer Elhai told the BBC. “But they formed a connection, and Kelly realized that they shared certain personality traits.” The doctor acknowledged Goering’s charm and intelligence, but also noted his drive, rebellion, huge ego, and strong loyalty to family and country.
AlamyThe doctor’s own ambition was to identify common mental illnesses and certain derangements among Nazis. Because he believed that alone could explain their heinous acts. But after intense study, Kelly realized that these men were essentially opportunists who seized the opportunity to use their power to exploit others. “And he concluded that people like this have always existed, although the atrocities they commit are on a much smaller scale,” Elhai says.
Rami Malek as Kelly and Russell Crowe as Gering have great on-screen chemistry. The audience watches as the two argue, joust, joke, and trust each other. Goering asked for Kelly’s help in contacting his wife and daughter, and the doctor, contrary to tradition, handed him a letter.
During his conversation with Kelly, Goering expressed his fears to the doctor that he and his wife were about to die, and asked that their 7-year-old daughter, Edda, be adopted and raised in the United States. Although he does not record exactly how Kelly responded, Elhai wrote: “This surprising request was a sign of Göring’s respect for Kelly and touched the psychiatrist, who knew how much Edda meant to her father.”
Source: BBC Culture – www.bbc.com
