Original subtitles

Paul Schäfer always had the leading role. He was the star.

And he bossed

people around, everybody.

But he always avoided appearing on camera.

There are few videos of him.

Relatively few.

COLONIA DIGNIDAD'S CAMERAMEN

This is in Egypt in 1960. One year before...

- One year before we arrived in Chile, yes. - Before arriving in Chile.

"German settlers in Chile."

This one's rusty already.

These films had been, at some point,

hidden under the sawdust, close to the river.

Music.

And that damaged the material.

The mold and all that.

Can you open this one?

This one is well-preserved.

Yes, and look at this.

- There's another one, "Sinai." - And Sinai.

- These were basically never seen. - These were never shown.

I hand them over without any limitations,

freely.

So people can better understand the phenomenon of the colony.

There are hundreds of kilometers of film.

The concept of propaganda

played an important role.

A NETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES

PAUL SCHÄFER'S VOICE

Dear child, I want to tell you something: you were loved too much.

And this was bad for you.

A star Shines As bright As the sun

But Heidschie Bumbeidschi Bum bum

But Heidschie Bumbeidschi

Bum… For the colonists,

like the good Christians they were, life centered around the family.

A very brave boy told me on one occasion

about one of the norms or rules…

COLONIA DIGNIDAD'S CHILD VISITOR

…that Schäfer established within the colony.

It was the separation of children from their parents.

We were locked in the children's house,

and I never saw my mom again.

I was four years old.

Suddenly, I didn't have parents anymore. They put us in a group.

COLONIST

They put us with a "group aunt", whom I didn't know either.

She was our only caregiver,

she took care of us day and night.

I ran around the outside of the house

yelling, "Mommy, come back!"

I cried and cried.

I talked to my mother once.

She was walking by.

COLONIST I was outside, weeding the ditch.

Someone saw us through the window.

I was punished. I received a great beating.

For weeks

I couldn't sit or lie down because of the bruises.

Because I had talked to my mom.

And I didn't even talk to her. She came to talk to me.

We had no contact with our children.

I always thought

that Schäfer was raising the children, and my son…

COLONIST …properly,

better than I could have done myself.

And with all the sports, the music, all those things, the excursions...

That's why I handed him over to Schäfer without any reservations.

The separation from their children caused discontent and even despair

among the colonists.

Schäfer justified the separation with tactical arguments.

He said it was only temporary but necessary

in order to build communal structures first.

We had to build an economic basis for everybody's survival.

For at least two years,

we were solely dedicated

to building the workshops and the mess hall

so we could all eat together.

We were all together.

COLONIST

And you could say that was a different start.

I nailed the boards of the houses myself.

And pretty well, almost like the professionals.

I nailed the beams.

In a row, with three nails.

I nailed all the beams for the hallways, the roofs…

All we did was work. There was no school.

For about four or five years,

we built almost an entire town.

We worked like adults.

COLONIST

Sometimes we worked not just 8 hours, but 16.

And seven days a week.

When Schäfer got up at noon,

he would saddle up a horse at the stable

and suddenly show up.

You, my friend!

He would go around with his megaphone telling people what to do.

When you come into the community, you can't serve God.

PAUL SCHÄFER'S VOICE

Then God serves you.

But when you do your work, that is your service to God.

So how did you serve God today?

They were treated badly.

They didn't know what money was.

COLONIA DIGNIDAD'S NEIGHBOR

They had to work every day.

The Germans worked like animals.

Whenever we passed by on horseback

on that public road…

the children would lower their heads

and only the group aunt waved.

What did they do to them? Where did all those poor kids come from?

And so many of them!

We've always wondered that.

He…

COLONIST

He abused those who were available to him.

Nobody could say no, nobody could...

Nobody could do anything to stop him.

That's no life.

Schäfer wanted to create his own pederast paradise,

free of restrictions, unreachable to justice,

where nobody could meddle.

There was no Police, no justice, no complaints' office. Nothing.

Who could we have talked to?

We were 40 km from the nearest town.

All dirt roads.

You're in the Pampa, in the middle of nowhere,

with no money and no passport,

not even a bus service.

Then, when I was 16,

I tried to recruit some friends

to interest them and convince them to run away.

I said, "What? Run away?"

"That's crazy. Where would you even go?"

"Do you want to be alone in the middle of nowhere?"

"We don't speak the local language."

"How will you do it? Where will you go?"

"You'll have to find a place to stay at nightfall."

"You have no money."

To me, that was completely impossible.

And suddenly he was gone.

He had taken a horse from the stable at night

and escaped on it.

In the middle of the night.

I thought, "What good is the horse if it makes noise?"

So I wrapped its hooves with rags

so they couldn't hear the crunching.

They searched with lamps at night. We lived in Bajo Los Torres.

They searched in the ditches with lamps.

My father talked about that later, for Aquí está magazine.

He talked to some journalists.

And those journalists published it in Aquí está magazine.

After Wolfgang Kneese's escape,

people started to say

that Schäfer was a pederast who had fled from Germany.

And Schäfer started to see how risky this was for him, how dangerous.

He had to do something to stop

the wave of rumors.

Encounter with Dignidad.

On August 15, 1964…

COLONIA DIGNIDAD PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

…the General Assembly decided to build

its own hospital.

From the beginning,

the National Health Service approved and supported the project.

They come on foot, by bus, on horseback.

Any way they can, they come to Dignidad's hospital.

Schäfer's strategy was very clever.

The region was terribly poor.

Babies were stillborn or, if they lived,

they died shortly after

due to infections that were common at the time.

The hospital was Schäfer's masterpiece.

We cooked for people.

And twice a week, all the people from the area,

those that came, about 300 people...

Twice a week, we gave them food and drink.

And we gave clothes to the poor.

All my family was treated there.

The neighbors too.

Everything was free.

Dignidad, when I speak your name

I always recall…

They covered a large area with their ambulances and their planes.

They did many rescue flights.

That you have done with so much love

You've assisted so many births

You've saved me so much pain…

I was convinced we were doing a good deed.

That's why we had come to Chile. It was clear to all of us.

Does it hurt here?

Thousands of rural Chileans considered him

a great friend, a boss, almost a saint.

Schäfer, dressed as a doctor.

He was a stretcher-bearer in World War II, but never a doctor or a nurse.

We bathed all Chilean patients

before admitting them into the hospital.

Because they were covered in fleas and lice.

And once in a while, Schäfer would visit the ward and bathe the boys.

Chilean boys.

That's why he wore a white coat, yes.

My mother had psychological problems.

And my father lost himself in alcohol.

When I was two months old, I had diarrhea or something,

and they gave me ground charcoal.

And then I started to... I choked on the charcoal.

Hospital, Nurse Ursel speaking.

So they called the hospital, because it was free.

They called the ambulance, and it took me there.

That saved me.

My sisters came later to the colony.

They said, "We want Efraín back."

They kept saying, "He still needs help." And when they insisted…

COLONIA DIGNIDAD HOSPITAL'S PATIENT

…they were told, "If you keep bothering us,

the hospital doors and all its benefits will be closed to you."

And that was it.

They never returned me to my parents.

They adopted me.

It was a kidnapping.

A happy childhood

can lead us to a full life.

COLONIA DIGNIDAD PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

A person who integrates into society

and gives to others what he has received.

That's the goal and purpose of Dignidad…

to sacrifice everything and dedicate our lives

to turn children's desolation into smiles.

The smile of a happy life,

of a decent life.

Dignidad.

At Schäfer's request,

a records officer would issue adoption documents

for boys that had received medical attention

at the colony's hospital.

He was a smart guy.

It was smart of him to build this safety net.

The colony posted ads in the newspaper looking for me.

They offered money to whoever found me.

A reward.

One family hid me.

And they found him there.

They came with the Police and took him from there.

What's strange is that the authorities didn't realize.

Why did they hand him over to the Germans?

Schäfer had a lot of power.

So, Schäfer told the judge

that I was a very difficult person.

And the judge said,

"If you forgive the young man

and take him back in spite of everything,

that means you are good people."

For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven

and, going to the tomb,

rolled back the stone and sat on it…

So I was returned to the colony.

His appearance was like lightning.

The whole congregation was there.

And I'll never forget the looks of all those men and women.

If looks could kill, I would have died a thousand times.

After that, they watched him like hawks.

Day and night.

There were two men with him always.

They gave him red clothes so they could always know where he was.

And at night, white clothes.

The soles of my shoes had a special pattern

so they could identify my tracks on the dust.

At the hospital, there was a room they used as a cell.

There was a nurse at the door with a German Shepherd.

It was basically imprisonment.

I was beaten brutally.

Then they'd inject me with something to calm me down.

It was strong enough to numb a horse.

For the first time in my life, I showed weakness.

I implored Schäfer on my knees to stop that madness.

Praise to the Lord

the Almighty, the King of Creation

O my soul, praise Him

For He is health and salvation

Come ye who hear

Brothers and sisters, draw near…

It was finally finished.

All the workshops were functioning.

Praise Him in glad adoration

It was all perfect. We were all together.

It was beautiful.

We all worked for a common fund.

Everyone ate what they were given.

And that was normal. There were no privileges.

We were all equal.

No one knew what envy was.

It really felt like a country...

COLONIA DIGNIDAD'S CAMERAMAN

Like a socialist-communist place, without being communist.

It was perfect.

I said, "This won't be enough."

COLONIA DIGNIDAD'S FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

"We won't generate enough income to cover our needs. No, it won't work."

I said, "We have to make money."

I bought a stone crusher.

Then, we built a 22-meter conveyor belt.

And it worked.

Yes, we worked with that.

And we made money that way.

Pull it back.

I loved working with metal. I operated the lathe.

The lathe, the milling machine, I processed the metal.

I thought Willi looked very manly,

very strong and handsome.

- And... - Thank you.

Also, he had something that was very important to me.

Listening to his comments during the assemblies, I realized

he was very straightforward and honest.

I also liked his voice a lot.

He had a rich, warm voice.

I don't know how to say it, but somehow,

I'm sure there was an invisible spark.

When we finished the Freihaus, we had a big celebration.

And we all danced.

All the women and the men.

He looked at me.

We couldn't do anything more than that, we knew we could be punished.

- But to say... - If he came close.

To say, "I love you"

was impossible.

- He couldn't say it. - It wasn't allowed.

And suddenly, it was all over.

Because one of our younger girls had danced with a boy.

That was the last time there was dance.

Ever.

We were a group of boys.

We were 14 or 15 years old.

And we became rebellious.

- We started to think for ourselves. - To think.

There were even times when Schäfer tried to start some oral stuff.

No way, impossible.

And Schäfer

would ask, "What's going on? You weren't joining in."

I'd say, "I didn't want to."

I guess Schäfer knew already.

I also had told him in the pastoral talks.

I talked openly about what I thought, also about her.

We had to confess.

If we had impure thoughts and whatnot.

And those things...

If someone said something during those talks or something happened,

they would write a report and file it.

It went on the record.

He had to know

our deepest thoughts, what each one of us thought,

to be able to react accordingly.

And that's when he would use the club.

At that time, he wanted to break me.

Here I have…

created a private museum.

This is the only item

that can explain why we tolerated all that.

Everything that happened.

Three men beat me with this bar

that they kept on a stand in the basement.

They hit me so much

that the bruises were not blue or green, but black.

Head between your legs, hands on your back.

And one of the men who worked in the forge with the mallet

would hit you until you couldn't talk anymore.

Basically, because you didn't feel anything anymore.

When you experience something like that,

you don't want anything anymore.

You don't want to fight anymore. You just want to comply.

To obey and do as you are told.

This is The day of the Lord

COLONIA DIGNIDAD'S CHORUS This is the day

Of the Lord

From then on, I started doing what he preached.

I knew well I couldn't do anything

that hadn't been approved.

There has to be order.

I am alone In an open meadow

Later on, Willi came to my workplace

and gave me that look again.

I turned around and left,

to let him know he had to leave me alone.

Excuse me.

PAUL SCHÄFER'S VOICE

Does anybody disagree with what I celebrate or what I said?

No.

At least don't be a coward by keeping silent about it.

Yes.

During the assembly, my father said

that the construction had progressed a lot,

and he suggested that each family should have their own house.

- As was promised. - As they had promised.

And they told him, "Well, we're all a big family,

and it has worked well so far."

How did it go?

He said something like, "Are we one big family?"

And everybody shouted, "Yes."

Yes!

Paul Schäfer said,

"There is still private property. That's unacceptable."

"Anyone who still has their box of personal items from Germany

must bring it to the big square."

It was called the Thingplatz.

That's where the private belongings were burned.

If you want to achieve greatness…

PAUL SCHÄFER'S VOICE

…you must be everyone's servant.

This place is ruled only by God's glory.

Nathan, when will you begin to follow the command?

It was the men's assembly. There were about 50 people.

One chair was left empty,

and there was a note on it.

"Traitor."

When her father, Nathan, came in,

that was the only chair available.

That's the way it was.

They punished my whole family.

Schäfer didn't call me by my name for 30 years.

Every time he saw me,

he shouted, "You swine!"

You are children of the devil!

PAUL SCHÄFER'S VOICE

You are followers of Satan!

But not of God!

You are lazy, dirty, carnal vermin.

You are all like rotten meatballs.

Schäfer felt that girls, women, were his competition.

That they could take away

those boy toys he had available.

What did he do? He denigrated them.

He broke their will.

Back then, we were 12 girls with the group aunt.

And we went to bed together.

We had to lie down straight, facing up.

We pulled the covers up to right below the chest.

We had to put our arms along the sides of our bodies, over the covers.

We had to sleep like that.

We were not allowed to move.

They left the light on, and the group aunt stood in the middle of the room

and watched us.

If someone moved,

she would drag her by the hair to the bathroom.

There, with a rubber hose,

she would beat her naked body, everywhere.

You are dirty! Lazy!

Lazy!

Mundane!

Full of lust! Sinful! The plague of the flesh!

He came every other day

demanding that we confessed.

He wanted specific confessions

about what we did with our bodies.

I told him once, "I haven't done anything."

"God in heaven is my witness. I didn't do anything!"

"And if you don't accept this,

beat me to death."

"Have the courage to beat me to death."

"I'm ready. I don't have any more sins."

Anyway, from that day on, we didn't see the boys anymore.

We were separated in the children's house,

and we worked in the fields

and didn't see any boys.

They basically segregated us by sex,

but nobody said a word.

They forced us on to the fields with whips.

We were given a piece of bread,

a small piece for the whole day.

And a little water.

From that day on, life wasn't easy for us girls.

It was all over.

Our group of women was always left aside.

Until I was almost 38 years old.

Always away from the community.

I thought it was normal,

that I was guilty, but I didn't know of what.

There must have been a reason why they were punishing us

in such a brutal way.

When we got married, we were over 40 years old.

COLONIST

We didn't know how families worked,

how children were conceived.

We didn't know children were conceived.

I'm making a fool of myself by saying that, but it was our reality.

We found a room to sleep in with a double bed.

I thought someone would slip us a few children, and then we'd be a family.

Then a doctor told us,

after a long time,

perhaps half a year later,

that we couldn't have children, that it was impossible.

That was the hardest blow in my life.

The only thing that we, that I...

That most of us wished for was to live a family life at least once.

That was something we never had.

To live in a family for once, to live like a family.

And all that fell apart in an instant.

We cried so much.

Yes. I would say not so close to the road,

but over here, maybe starting here.

- No, you know? - Better here.

VILLA BAVIERA - FORMERLY COLONIA DIGNIDAD

The cabin with a view to the mountains.

What do you think?

This thing of separating boys and girls...

If a girl just looked at a boy and someone saw her,

they would write her name on the blackboard.

There was a hearing with punishments.

- In public. - In public.

I believed from that moment that I had to remove myself from Willi completely.

And I did.

- Just... - We never talked to one another.

We never talked. Nothing.

Then I founded a little orchestra with my group.

I was the boss.

We would hide in the mill,

which was pretty far away.

We played beautiful pieces.

We also laughed a lot.

And...

And one night, he found us.

Schäfer found us.

"What's going on here?"

"What are you doing here? In the middle of the night."

I said, "We don't have time during the day."

And he said, "I want to hear it."

What we were playing, of course, because he had heard something.

We had an interesting potpourri.

We played it.

"Yes."

He told us to practice until we could play from memory.

And he started to use us when there were visitors.

I have wandered this world

And the world is beautiful and vast…

That music and the singing set us free.

We had to give it all.

All our voices.

And we could put into a song

everything we felt.

I saw the people… For many years,

singing gave me strength.

And their lives are work and effort…

After my first escape, they separated me from the others during meals.

They excluded me from communal events.

And they forbade me to speak for a year.

I'd get slapped if I said good morning.

They made me work in the sawmill with the strongest man.

We had to move huge logs

that a normal man couldn't move.

You would break your fingers.

And to work with a saw like that

with the kinds of injections I was getting,

it was truly crazy.

So I mustered my courage

and went straight to the river.

I crossed the Perquilauquén.

I came to the other side soaking wet, and I could hear the dogs barking already.

And then I literally ran for my life.

I made it.

I went to Santiago and to the German embassy.

I was very lucky with the ambassador.

He hid me in a German retirement home in Santiago.

They gave me a gun to hide under my pillow, for protection.

Soon after, a journalist from Ercilla magazine came to see me.

She did my first interviews about the subject.

COLONIA "DIGNIDAD" SOWING SUSPICION

THE COLONY OF TERROR

BEHIND THE WALLS OF "DIGNIDAD"

So, the authorities issued

an arrest warrant against Schäfer.

WANTED And I thought, "It's over."

And I opened a bottle of champagne.

Schäfer had to hide for a while, right?

- Could it be? - In the sawmill.

I think he hid in the sawmill.

- Then, I... - So everybody could say, "He's not here."

Schäfer is ruined for life.

They ruined his reputation and his prestige.

Yes.

Schäfer started to create a mass movement…

with residents from neighboring areas,

businessmen, politicians,

to defend himself.

In the end, he created an almost impenetrable protection network.

Those investigations came to an end when the judge

ruled that the accusations against the Germans…

"ELECTRO SHOCK" - CHANNEL 9

…did not constitute a crime.

Yes.

Those were serious accusations.

And they wrote many things.

But then… COLONIST

…the judge dismissed all the charges.

How do you say it? "Clean as…"

- Clean as a whistle. - Clean as a whistle.

We're still here,

and the authorities realized it was all lies and nonsense.

Schäfer knew his stuff.

The colony took me to court.

For stealing horses, homosexuality,

libel and slander, etc.

The colony was above the law.

That's how Schäfer turned the victim into a criminal.

I was sentenced

to five years and one day in prison.

My only option was to flee over the Andes.

That was my only option.

I made it to the other side,

and in Buenos Aires,

with about 200 dollars sewn into my waistband,

I caught a plane to Frankfurt.

Schäfer invited 3,000 or 4,000 people to a party

to celebrate his triumph over me.

HELPING MAKES YOU HAPPY

Paul Schäfer felt

completely safe within his kingdom.

But he didn't count on the rise of socialism in Chile.

Everybody knew where communism had originated

and the damage it had done in its birthplace.

The powerful figure of Salvador Allende emerged,

talking about equality,

about expropriating landowners, large estate owners.

They'll have to shoot me dead

if they want to stop me

from accomplishing the people's program.

Of course we got scared, "What will happen to us?"

We had everything,

and we were basically a perfect target

for any communist group

- that wanted to dispossess us… - Dispossess us.

…through whatever means.