Surly lawyer Glenn “Joseph” Feldman is certain that a former business partner was profiting from a hidden stash of stolen Nazi gold.  In fact, Joseph’s infamous conviction becomes detrimental to his career and personal life, and has brought on a defamation lawsuit against him by his old friend.  His skeptical and inquisitive daughter, Alex, wants to help bring closure to this chapter with some tough love and some outsider expertise.

Billie Mintz’s documentary looks slick and has the natural ability to grab the attention of the audience.  This may be why the film won the Feature Film Jury award for Best Documentary at this year’s Can Film Fest.  However, for as often as the doc spins its wheels by constantly retracing its steps, providing too much commentary from Alex, and waffling between how to present Joseph’s frustration, Gold Bars: Who the F*ck Is Uncle Ludwig? skims the surface of this material.  This is a unique and eccentric doc about the fallibility of memory, but repackaging it as a limited series with a measured pace more fit for its procedurals would allow Mintz to strike richer results.

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