"Yes, bring back labour camps," says one citizen to the dictator. Tourists and football fans cheer the fake Hitler at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, in a Bavarian village and elsewhere, and elderly people pour their hearts out to him, often voicing extremist views. In the real-life scenes, lead actor Oliver Masucci - replete with Hitler moustache and uniform - is seen getting rousing receptions from ordinary people, many of whom pose for "selfies" with him. The film, however, goes a step further and sprinkles the story with documentary-style scenes - in the style of Sacha Baron Cohen's 2006 comedy "Borat" - giving the screen version a more disturbing twist. He discovers TV chefs, Wikipedia and the fact that Poland still exists before he ends up a small-screen star, in a social commentary on society, mass media and celebrity hype. In the bestselling what-if novel published three years ago, Hitler is baffled to find himself in a multicultural Germany led by a woman, Chancellor Angela Merkel. That's the premise of "He's Back" ("Er ist wieder da"), a biting social satire by author Timur Vermes, the movie version of which premiered in German cinemas this week. Imagine Hitler wakes up in today's Berlin, is mistaken for a hilarious impersonator of the Nazi leader and ends up a TV celebrity, widely cheered for voicing his demented worldview.
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