Director: Agnieszka Holland
The basic story is quite remarkable, mostly because it's true. A young Jewish boy finds his way into the German army, and while he's young and so that explains why he's so quick to abandon his principles, they do eventually catch up to him. The themes of this story, not movie but story, venture around identity, self-preservation, and violating your mostly deeply held principles in favor of more practical reasons. Though I definitely do not believe this film lived up to those potential themes.
The movie is made in typical Holocaust movie fashion, showing the horrible living conditions and experiences of Jews and making most of the Germans stereotypically evil. But the tone of the film is a bit comedic, mostly because the kid is fairly innocent and so he does not yet know the serious nature of the war. I also must admit that some of the scenes are probably unintentionally light because the lead actor is not all that great, and this is especially true in the end when he is supposed to have learned a great lesson, but there is not much emotional impact. Like many Holocaust movies, this movie is remarkable only because it is based on a true story.
Grade: C+
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