Sweden hewed to a policy of neutrality during World War II, but Swedish industrialists profited from the conflict by selling iron ore and ball bearings to Nazi Germany, thereby enabling it to press on with the war. Sweden, too, allowed German troop trains to pass through its territory, all in the service of placating Germany and preventing a German invasion.

Pursuing this strategic objective, Sweden turned a blind eye to Germany’s persecution of Jews. And once the war broke out, Sweden was loathe to admit Jewish refugees from Germany and German-occupied countries.

These little-known issues are explored in The Swedish Connection, a Netflix feature film based on real events. It unfolds in 1942 and 1943, when the Holocaust reached its crescendo and Jews, particularly from Norway, clamored to reach a safe haven in neighboring Sweden.

At the center of this brisk and methodically-crafted Swedish movie is civil servant Gosta Engzell (Henrik Dorsen), who directed the legal department in Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His department was normally in charge of reviewing visa applications, but since Adolf Hitler’s........

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