My Daughter's Killer Review: A gripping documentary on a father's relentless battle to seek justice for her daughter

3/5

Story: A father's relentless battle that spanned three decades to seek justice for her dead daughter, who was sexually abused and killed by her stepfather 

Review: Kalinka Bamberski, a French teenager, was barely 14 years old when she allegedly died of sunstroke. But how could a perfectly healthy teenager suddenly pass away? It was later revealed that Kalinka's stepfather, a German doctor named Dieter Krombach, had injected her with drugs that he claimed 'helped her tan easily and a drug to treat iron deficiency, which Kalinka didn't suffer from. When Kalinka's father André Bamberski learnt that there was evidence of sexual assault during Kalinka's autopsy and that the genitals of the girl were missing, his suspicion on Krombach only became stronger, despite the fact that her death was declared as purely accidental. The year was 1982 and the three-decade-long battle to seek justice for Kalinka began.

My Daughter's Killer, a true crime documentary revolves around a father's unrelenting battle for justice for his daughter and pursuit of her killer that spanned around 30 years. In one of the scenes, Andre is seen saying, "Kalinka got carved up like a pig in a slaughterhouse, but nobody wanted to know how and why she died.” While Germany had closed the case, Andre decided to take the matter into his own hands

The fight went on for years and Krombach was found guilty in absentia in 1995 at a court in Paris. However, Germany denied Krombach's extradition to France and France, too, didn't issue an international arrest for warrant. Krombach was arrested for drugging and raping a 16-year-old patient, two years after the ruling. Even as more women testified against him in court, there was just not enough evidence, which meant that Krombach would spend 24 months behind bars and was banned from practising medicine as a doctor.

Andre, not the one to give up, continues his fight for justice and as the battle inches towards completing 30 years (France has a 30-year-limit of legal procedures), as one last measue, André organises the adbuction of Krombach from his house and dumps him outside the prosecutor's office in Mulhouse, eastern France, which also has a police station nearby. Krombach is gagged and severely injured when found by the French police officers.

While André was found guilty of organising the kidnapping, Krombach was finally sentenced to 15 years in prison, 29 years after Kalinka's death (in 2011), thus bringing a closure to the long and relentless battle. 

My Daughter's Killer delves into the loopholes and limitations of the justice system and how the medical fraternity, which was highly respected in Germany in the '80s, abused power. The documentary also reveals how crimes against women were not taken seriously at the point of time. A case in point is a scene where the a woman lawmaker is discussing marital rape and the entire house comprising men begin laughing. There are also clips from an interview where Krombach has absolutely no guilt or remorse for the crimes he committed on women, mostly young girls, and is instead seen mocking them. His line, “Like they said in ancient Rome: ‘Those who remain silent seem to agree,” reeks of evilness. The documentary sounds like the plot of a bestseller, but what's disheartening is that it is a true crime. 

Verdict: A gripping true-crime documentary