Wolfgang Lotz in The Champagne Spy

While half the crowd looked more suited for the early bird special and the other half must have had permission slips signed by their parents, The Champagne Spy proved it can connect to all audiences. Written and directed by Nadav Schirman, the documentary is filled with action, suspense, love affairs and history. The story is strung together by interviews from people connected to Wolfgang Lotz, a spy for Israel’s Mossad who was sent to Egypt to pass on messages about the status of the Egyptian army.

Most of the story is told from the perspective of Lotz’s son, Oded, who lived with his mother in Paris during his father’s “business trips” and had to keep Lotz’s identity hidden. Accompanying Oded’s accounts are those of Lotz’s Mossad superiors, allies in Egypt and sparse previously televised interviews with Lotz himself.

The documentary shows how Lotz quickly grows accustomed to life as a spy and soon the barrier between his real life and the fictitious life he upholds in Egypt begins to fade. He becomes absorbed in the glamour of his roles as both a valued asset to the Israeli government and a prominent Egyptian citizen, acquiring the nickname “Champagne Spy” because of his high-class interactions with other officials.

Lotz is so comfortable living a double life that he marries a German woman, Waltraud Neumann, despite protests from Mossad officials. He does not reveal to her that he is Jewish, a spy and has a wife and child awaiting his return from Egypt.

Lotz is eventually caught and his son, Oded, remembers reading his father’s name in the newspaper and learning the full extent to which Lotz embraced his ulterior life. Oded asks, “Who is this Waltraud woman?” while his mother remains silent about the betrayal. When Lotz and Neumann are later released from prison, Oded and his mother await Lotz’s return, only to learn he has chosen to continue to live his fantasy life.

But Lotz’s life after his release does not pick up quite where it left off. He fails to recreate the happiness he had in Egypt and his life continues to unravel until his death in 1993.

The film relies on the suspense created by the constant twists in the story. It gives the impression that anything can happen, and though it’s full of history, it’s never boring. The way the story unfolds through interviews and headlines from the time show the tension among Lotz’s loved ones and in his own life.

Oded is by far the most compelling person in the documentary and the most instrumental in telling his father’s story. Through his point of view we are able to see both sides of Lotz, the charismatic father who risks his life for his country and the man who got so caught up in the extravagance of being a spy that he left his own family. Oded’s emotional journey in coming to terms with his father’s actions is among the most heartfelt components of the documentary.

It’s clear why The Champagne Spy is the winner of the Israeli Film Academy’s 2007 Ophir Award for Best Documentary. Wolfgang Lotz’s dramatic history is touchingly recreated as it explores both the complexities of life as a spy and the relationship between father and son. One is torn in his or her judgment of Lotz, who can be seen as either a villain or a hero as his dutiful service to his country is the ultimate foil to his family’s stability. But in the end, if Oded is able to forgive his father, who are we to hold a grudge?

Caitlin Wilson is the editorial intern for JVibe and is a junior at Emerson College in Boston.