Mother Night

Confined in an Israeli jail, Campbell begins writing a memoir about his Nazi Germany years. The narrative frames his memories as the lens through which the present moment probes his past. The film opens with this reflective setup.

War Department operative Frank Wirtanen approaches Campbell with a covert request to work as a US spy in the coming war. Campbell rejects the offer, but Wirtanen makes clear that Campbell's actions during the war will reveal his choice. The weight of the decision hangs over him as the story moves forward.

In the early war years, Campbell climbs the ranks within Goebbels Propaganda Ministry and becomes the English language voice that broadcasts Nazism to American listeners. Unknown to the Nazis, his broadcasts conceal coded information for Allied intelligence.

He delivers broadcasts with deliberate pauses and coughs, forming a covert code understood by Allied intelligence. The code transmissions operate beneath the surface of propaganda, unseen by his Nazi colleagues.

Late in the war, Campbell learns that Helga is reportedly killed on the Eastern Front. He visits Helga's family outside Berlin in early 1945, and Resi confesses that she is in love with him.

An American infantryman recognizes Campbell's voice and captures him. Wirtanen arranges a discreet release and helps his relocation to New York City. This escape marks a turning point from wartime service to a covert postwar exile.

In New York City, Campbell lives a lonely fifteen year exile, sustained only by memories of Helga. Mrs. Epstein, a Holocaust survivor in his building, suspects his true identity, though he feigns ignorance.

George Kraft, an elderly painter who is secretly a Soviet intelligence agent, befriends Campbell and probes his past through their long chess games. Kraft leaks Campbell's whereabouts to a neo Nazi group, drawing Campbell into new danger.

Neo-Nazi representatives shelter Campbell, Kraft, and Resi in a Manhattan hideout. They present a woman who appears to be Helga, but Campbell soon learns that the woman is actually Resi in Helga's identity.

Wirtanen returns to warn Campbell that Kraft and Resi have manipulated him to push him toward Moscow. Campbell confronts them, and Resi, exposed, commits suicide.

The FBI raids the hideout, but Wirtanen uses his influence to ensure Campbell walks free. The incident underscores the murkiness of postwar espionage and the price of truth.

Back in the city, Campbell returns to his wrecked apartment and decides to turn himself in to the Israelis to stand trial. He is moved to Haifa to face a trial, as a letter from Wirtanen arrives confirming his status as a US spy.

Moments later, Campbell hangs himself in Haifa, not for crimes against humanity but for crimes against himself. The film leaves his fate as a stark personal reckoning with a life spent in contradiction.