Edges of the Lord (2001) Online

I've been an avid Haley Joel Osment fan since his role as Forest Gump's son in the movie of the same name. I have followed this talented young man and seen him grow into one of the great Actors today (not child actors, mind you - he is a full blown actor, IMHO). I lay all this praise out there as a preface to comments since it is important to understand my next statement:

Why on Earth is movie not being distributed in the United States? Why not in World Wide distribution? Here you have an extremely talented cast, in a well thought out and written movie, and so few get to see it. There are some films that are "must see" for the sake of mankind and this is one of them. Is it as significant as Shindler's List? Probably not for the general audience. However, it is very significant for young audiences in their teenage years. I watched this film for the first time with my two sons (14 & 16) and was amazed to hear their perspective on a very difficult subject and time historically. While Shindler's List might help older audiences remember that there was a time that should not be repeated, Edges of the Lord will help teens (and some younger viewers) understand that we cannot allow a repeat of this time in history. My two (Catholic) boys have learned to live as a community from parents and friends that practice what they preach and this film opened their eyes to specifics that are not taught in school. It is very important for those living in relative comfort to see what peers overseas lived like in horrifying circumstances. To have to have grown up so fast. The story captures what should not be forgotten and reminds those of us that know to educate those that don't. Impressive....

The film's star, Haley Joel Osment, is accurate with his acting - voice and accent, and is believable. Haley is amazing in that he can pull you into the world he's in and keep you there. What a gift he has and aren't we lucky to see it grow! Mr. Defoe is excellent. The children in the village are excellent. The set / location and costumes are perfect.

I had to buy this film from Brazil. Miramax, if you are listening, get this film to as many screens as you can! Be responsible, please! At least, release it on DVD. No one should ever forget, and your film will assist in that goal.

I caught this unknown film on Polish television last night and was blown away. The following day as I write this I'm still haunted about some of the scenes towards the end.

With an excellent blend of Polish and international actors and actresses, this tale of the loss of childhood innocence during WW2 is as powerful and memorable as Schindler's List or the Pianist, and is certainly not for young children.

While Osmont's performance is great, it is Liam Hess as the young Tola who steals the film, a true innocent who longs to understand what it was like to be Jesus, an amazing characterisation by such a young boy.

There are moments of lovely humour in the film as you'd expect watching the innocent/stupid/naive things kids do, but the last thirty minutes are quite shocking and emotionally draining.

Congratulations to writer/director Yurek Bogayevicz and all involved, for a powerful piece of filmmaking.

I consider this film to be the best one with Haley J. Osment. I must admit that first I watched it only because HJO was starring in it (and because the film was shot in my country, ie Poland). Not only does Haley play wonderfully, but also the film itself is very good, mixing the times of WWII with the fragile construction of children's psyche. The film was made in Poland, so it was very nice to see Haley playing in Polish landscapes. I must say I am very surprised that the film was not yet released in the US. In Poland it was shown in cinemas in 2001. In January 2003 the film was released on DVD. A few weeks ago (November 2003) the movie was on TV so it had really wide audience. I don't understand why such a good movie was not released in the US !! If you want, you can write to me: (make sure it's o2, and not 02).

You know something? It's a bit of a pity that "Edges of the Lord" doesn't get the deserved attention from the press, critics and people in general. That happens in part because of its poor marketing and propaganda. The film should also have a better distribution around the world.

I like Haley Joel Osment. At first I only saw this movie for curiosity because Haley is in it. I don't even like war movies. But this one is actually a good surprise inside its genre.

This isn't like the majority of war films. Comparing to others of its kind, this one is soft when it comes to the Holocaust's horrors and violence (although it still is disturbing). But in general, this is more of a drama that takes place during the World War II in the early 1940's. It's a human movie, a story of braveness, survival, sacrifices and also about learning to accept and respect the other people. It also has some funny moments, such as the hilarious pig fart scene!

"Edges of the Lord" takes place in Poland, the country where it was filmed. One of its attributes is the natural beauty of the sceneries and landscapes: a beautiful village, lakes, trees, mountains and green places. The music is beautiful. It's a touching movie either, not just another Holocaust movie.

Haley Joel Osment and Willem Dafoe are the best known actors of this film. They're American. The others are mostly polish actors but not without a Canadian one (Richard Banel) and an English one (Liam Hess).

The fabulous Haley Joel Osment once again proves his exceptional talent and, along with the other actors, he speaks with a very convincing polish accent.

The other actors have terrific performances too, especially the kids: Liam Hess as Tolo, Richard Banel as Vladek and Ola Frycz as Maria. As for the adult actors, Olaf Lubaszenko is great as Gniecio, as well as Willem Dafoe as the Priest. The director Yurek Bogayevicz did a great job with this American-polish special production.

As for the characters, Tolo is a loving but very strange little boy. Vladek starts by being a hateable brat who's always mistreating Romek, but as the movie runs we end up liking him, because he changes his bratty attitudes, becomes a good boy and finally accepts Romek, becoming his friend and even rescues him when he needs to. Romek is the cutest and most loving kid but also a boy who is thought to disguise in perfection his religious roots. Maria is a pretty and provoking girl who also becomes a better person as the movie runs. Who I never like at all are that awful Kluba and his sons: Pyra and, most of all, that horrible Robal.

This is a must of Haley Joel Osment fans, of course, though some might be disappointed in the Polish accent that the film requires from HJO. He is the star of the film, no doubt, but the other kids (both boys and girls) are just as much a part of the story, and are wonderful young actors. Willem Defoe as the priest is fine, though he's not a very good pig-chaser (okay, that's an inside joke, for those who've seen the film). Liam Hess, who plays the younger brother in the family that the Haley character is living with to avoid being rounded up by the Nazis, is the best of the group, and the most sympathetic of the characters. Some of the plot situations he goes through seem a bit far-fetched, but the underlying allegory that his character embodies is mostly effectively drawn, and comes to an emotional conclusion. All of the Nazis portrayed in this movie are monsters as human beings, with no attempt made to find even one sympathetic German character in the group. There is some balance in the Polish characterizations, though, as some are good people, and some are bad.

As for the reason this hasn't been released in the U.S. yet, I found nothing that should keep it out of the theaters. The one nude scene with young Liam Hess is certainly innocent enough, and the rape scene involving a couple of the other young actors/actresses was emotionally moving, without being too graphic for anyone who's not running for office somewhere and trying to make a name for themself. The dvd is a first rate product.

"Edges of the Lord" is a beautifully shot film. The interior of peasant homes and the Polish countryside glow.

"Edges" includes some unforgettable performances. Willem Dafoe is stunning as nobody's ideal -- and yet very loving -- priest. Haley Joel Osment reveals, yet again, that he has more heart and talent in his pinkie than many bigger stars have in their whole bodies.

Liam Hess, as Tolo, an eight year old peasant child with a Messiah complex, is reason enough alone to see the movie. I've never seen anything like his performance. He is mesmerizing. Had this film received a theatrical release, Hess' performance would be legendary by now.

HJO plays Romek, a Jewish boy who, during the Holocaust, is sent to live with a Polish peasant family. During his time there he has fights, and makes friends, with Polish peasant children. An older girl, teenage Maria, tries to introduce him to love.

This coming of age tale occurs with the Holocaust in the background. Trains of Jews pass through the village; villagers rob escaping Jews. Three Polish peasant characters are shot to death for defying Nazi orders. A pall of menace hangs over every word and deed.

Tolo, who looks younger than eight, takes it upon himself to sacrifice for the suffering humanity he sees around him. He asks to be crucified. He attempts to perform a miracle. Upon learning that Jesus was Jewish, Tolo claims to be Jewish -- to a Nazi. In the end, Tolo does perform a sacrifice, one the viewer did not expect.

Viewers can't fully understand this movie without understanding the background of Polish Jewish relations. Both Polish Catholics and Jews suffered under the Nazis. Nazis, though, targeted Jews for complete elimination, and came dreadfully close to carrying out that evil end.

In recent years, loud voices have claimed that Poles did not do enough to rescue Jews, or that Poles celebrated, or participated in, the Holocaust that occurred, largely, on Polish soil. Poles, less well organized, have tried to present a more complicated picture -- one in which any Pole who helped any Jew in any way risked death not just for himself, the helper, but for his entire family. Poles also point out that there are more Poles honored among the righteous at Yad Vashem than any others.

Too, Poles point out, World War Two was just the latest catastrophe, for Poles, in a two century long history of catastrophes, including domination by hostile Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Poles suffered horribly under the Nazis. There were Poles in Auschwitz, on mass transport trains, and in gas chambers.

Needless to say, this short review can't honor all the competing narratives that serve as backdrop to this movie.

As a viewer, I can say that this film was not a complete success for me aesthetically. Watching films about genocide is hard. If I am going to invest time in such an endeavor, I want to feel that the investment was worthwhile -- that I learned something, or grew as a person, from the experience. Genocide films that have worked for me have included "The Pianist" and "Hotel Rwanda." Both films focused on a single strand narrative that followed one character I deeply cared about.

"Edges of the Lord" does not follow a single strand narrative focused on one charismatic character. Though I liked many, I never became intimately involved with any of the characters. The film's focus is too diffuse, switching from narrative strand to narrative strand.

And then there are the political issues. I can understand the desire to make a film that communicates that World War Two was a tortuous, chaotic prison for all Poles. The Bad Poles here -- the ones who rob escaping Jews -- are bad Poles, period. They also betray their own Polish Catholic neighbors to the Nazis. One, the script makes clear, has performed unnatural acts with sheep. And he rapes a beloved female character.

At one point, a priest confronts a Polish criminal with his crime. The criminal says, "Who are you going to report me to?" World-War-Two-era Poland was a land without justice. The good Poles did was erased, often, by their murder at the hands of Nazis. Bad Poles faced no court of justice; rather, they profited from others' misfortunes.

That this film communicates that understanding is a good thing.

There are political issues in a film in which Tolo, a Polish Catholic boy, a child of the "Christ of Nations," volunteers to be crucified, symbolically, and, ultimately, in a real way, as a gesture of solidarity with suffering Jews. This is an issue that deserves discussion. But, unfortunately, this film was all but buried. It received no theatrical release, and little press. That is a shame.

I do have mixed feelings about this film as an aesthetic product and a political statement, but I also must recommend it for anyone who would like to see an unforgettable performance by a child actor, and for persons interested in seeing the Holocaust from an alternative point of view.

I rented this film because I am a fan of Osmet. I was surprised by the performances of almost all the child actors in this film. Liam Hess stole the show. I would have rated this film higher, but the story seemed to meander with no real point at times. The film is very dark and somber throughout but what would you expect from a "holocost" film. The central story is about two boys (one jew and one catholic) who end up living together and experiencing some of the atrocities perpetrated on the jews during WWII by the Germans. The Catholic boy (Liam Hess), who is receiving teachings from the local priest before his first communion decides to mimic the life of Jesus (for what reason I'm not sure) and draws all the other local children into his game. As the film progresses, the story becomes more serious and the Tolo's "games" become more realistic.

The plot is excellent. The story like it really was. I have heard so much about these times and how people behaved under extreme stress. This movie is so truthful to the real life. Some people are monsters and some are saints and often you can not tell who is who till they face the challenge of their lives. This movie is also about growing up, about the childhood torments and tribulations. It has some dreamlike qualities and the aspect of horror. The movie looks into the human soul, asks a lot of questions and answers only some of them. Well, an excellent experience. Everybody should see this great film. PS: I noticed that a Hollywood sugary run of the mill production "Panic Room" scored almost as high as this great artistic movie (7.5 to 7.8). This is hard for me to explain. I gave Panic Room a rating of 5 and Edges of the Lord 10.

It is amazing that this film did not receive a theatrical release - surely someone in Hollywood has their head up their ass. This movie could have been a major Oscar contender. It is a beautiful story, told to near perfection. Haley Joel Osment continues to prove he's one of the greatest child actors of all-time, and Liam Hess makes an amazing impression as Tolo. Both performances are Oscar worthy, as are the script, direction, cinematography, and picture.

Without revealing too much of the film focuses on the story of a young boy torn from his parents and Jewish upbringing and forced into a Catholic peasant community during the War. The horrors of the War are shown full, and the children of the community become heavily involved with the church as a means to escape the horrors, especially the impressionable, younger Tolo.

This is definitely one of the best movies to ever deal with the horrors of World War II, and certainly the best since "Schindler's List."

Haley has brought another movie to life, but this time he is not the only young actor to give a truly moving performance. Liam Hess really takes on Tolo's emotions and brings them out expertly to give a very convincing performance. One of England's hidden talents. The casting worked well with talent from Canada, USA, England, & Poland all coming together to create a movie that was a delight to watch. Look out for Haley's father/coach who also takes a small role in the movie. I liked the movie's originality, beautiful setting and realism. A classic, and one that you will not quickly forget.

I picked up this movie from a video store, not having heard about it before, and watched it on a vacation. I was completely surprised; this is one of the better movies I've seen. It's very moving in all aspects, with wonderful characterization-- characters one loves, and characters one hates. Dafoe and Osment pull of the thick Polish accents very well; so well that it might be a good idea to turn the subtitles on while watching the movie. Without giving any spoilers, I shall say that the plot, though profound, touching, and horrific, is not dramatic just to be dramatic. Every part of the plot, whether it was violent or humorous, religious or sexual, served its purpose in a believable way. I recommend this movie highly, though not for younger children; the R rating it received is fitting, as the movie, though not nearly as violent or sexual as some others, deals with those two themes in a disturbingly haunting manner.

This film marks the departure of the Hollywood blockbuster for Haley Joel Osment. This film is a collaboration of European interest, as well as Hollywood money, and bears well for such future collaborations.

Haley, starring as a young Jew caught up in the atrocities of the 2nd World War, is excellent, giving very intense and moving performances, however, the ensemble cast of young people work very well together to create the unsettling atmosphere that prevailed at the time.

All the performances are perceptive, the direction is excellent, and the story solid and bold.

It is a tribute to Haley and all who surround him, that he chose this to follow "A.I.", as it pushes the actor and performance, rather than the bank balance.

Not a children's film, but a story of children, with strong modern day resonations, that is relevant today, to us all.

Well worth seeing!

Having just watched this film I am left quite speechless, not a common experience for me. I wasn't expecting this, neither will you if you see it, and I think it's the sort of film that everyone should see, not your usual hollywood trash, a truly great story that is brutally honest and will remind us all of our childhood. 10 out of 10 for this one

This is meant to be a movie about the atrocities of war, but in fact this movie is about the pains of adolescence. It is about growing up. It is about how the terrible circumstances around the kids, influence their growing up and becoming adults. Why this movie is not brought to the USA ? Instead of this masterpiece, people in California must watch garbage like Men in Black II. This movie is acted beautifully, the script is wonderful and moving beyond belief and the filming is great. Please ! show this great movie to the American public

"Edges of the lord" is a low-budget World War II drama about an intelligent young Jewish boy, geniusly portrayed by Haley Joel Osment, who is seperated from his parents in the very beginning of the film by the Nazis, invading Poland. The boy is sent, kicking and screaming, to relatives living in a captured village far from the larger communities. There he integrates with the family under hard prohibition from revealing that he is a Jew. He bonds especially with the youngest son of his host family, the imaginative and charismatic Tolo, who is played to excellence by newcomer Liam Hess, and his older brother Vladek (Richard Banel). As the plot moves forward we see the Nazi oppression of the Polish farmers and one of many faces of war: betrail and looting of prisoners of war, even by the Polish locals. Osment's character is, for the first time, demanded to go to church, read Christian psalms and hide his Jewish origin. The local priest, played by Willem Dafoe, offers him an alternative by schooling him separately and letting him perform the Christian traditions as a sole appearance. The story is full of moral choices and dilemmas that gets you thinking about, although not very sympathetic, for the characters' situations in life. This movie has shown me nothing more than what I have already seen. Many outstanding performers are fighting the edgeless script and make the film worth seeing. Perhaps expectations were set to high, but I would only be able to give this interesting flop a 7 for really good acting and an interesting theme.

An absolutely fabulous film.

I have just finished watching this film on DVD and I would like to say that it is one of the very best films I have seen for some time. The film, I think, is based from an almost total child's eye view and is pulled of to great effect. The performances from all of them main characters were truly remarkable, and all with very convincing accents, not easy I would imagine for such young actors. However, the entire film is stolen by the performance of one actor, Liam Hess. His performance made the film for me. His acting was superb and believable (as was his accent) and indeed with such a difficult subject that the film was addressing; it makes the film all the more brilliant.

I am surprised that this film is almost three years old, and I have not heard of it before this? Was this an oversight on my part or was the film just not `pushed' at the box office?

(Spoilers?) The subject contained within the film is a very difficult one to handle and it takes a very skilled team of actors and directors etc. to make sure that the films works, here they do it very well. There are some harrowing scenes, such as the shooting of the peasants and the killing of the boy, which turned the film from a simple yarn into something much more complex. Indeed, it is quite ironic that the killing of the Polish boy, near to the end, caused the life of the Jewish boy to be saved, perhaps some poetic justice?

The holocaust is such a terrible thing in the history of the world, and is a very difficult subject to discuss today, however with films like this is makes the subject just that little bit easier to tackle.

I give this film 9/10 and would say that this is certainly one for the collection.

"Edges of the Lord" ("Boze skrawki") by Yurek Bogayewicz is GREAT motion picture.

Haley Joel Osment plays Romek, a 11-year-old Jewish boy hides with a family of Catholic peasant farmers to escape the Nazis. I love this boy, and in "Edges.' he's really great. But in this movie we have new very talented child actor, too. 8-year-old Liam Hess, who plays Tolo, little Polish boy, who want save the world is amazing. I never forget this little child with big, sad, grey eyes. Other kids, young polish actors, are pretty good. Willem Defoe and polish actors, Olaf Lubaszenko, Malgorzata Foremniak and Andrzej Grabowski (star of the stupid, but very popular polish TV-series `Swiat wedlug Kiepskich') are 'nice for eyes', but nothing more.

This story is very ambitious, cruel and... true. About war and children. Children and - that's the most important - their lost purity.

In my opinion - 8/10. But, I know, not for all.

This movie is about a young Jew that finds shelter in a small village in Polland and lives with Christians. I decided to rent that movie only because I had already watched most of Haley Joel Osment's movies and as I had found them all really nice that was sort of a guarantee. The trueth is that I did not expect it to be so nice. This movie, in contrast to most of the movies about WW2, is about the life during these years. the stars of the movie are: Haley Joel Osment, Liam Hess, Olga Fruzch, Richard Banel and Willem Dafoe. Edges of the Lord is probably the movie with the best performances by all the cast and especially by the kids. Haley did a great performance as usual as Romek,the 12 year old Jew, Olga was really great as Maria and Richard, as Vladek, was really fantastic. But, the highlight of the movie was the admirable performance of Liam. He was really great and powerful. Willem Dafoe was quite good, too. What I really admired about this film was the great ability of Yurek Bogaievich, the director, to seize the feeling of the people, fear-love-hapiness-sadness, and make it picture. He could harmonize the personnal feeling with the weather conditions or the things laing around the main characters.I suggest you to watch this movie and try to observe all the details, that is the only way to understand how great this movie is. Greetings from Larissa, Greece!!! Violet.

Does Haley Joel Osment have bad agents, bad managers, or just BAD LUCK? For being the most talented and serious boy actor of his cohort, he's managed get into some of the most gawd-awful movies after his attention-attracting debut in "Forrest Gump" and his big splash with "The Sixth Sense." Now here is a film about a Jewish boy sent for refuge to a rural Polish farm community during the Nazi occupation. Masquerading as a devout Catholic, and interacting with numerous persons of various ages who are mostly at best ambivalent about his being there, offered ample opportunities for the exercise and further development of HJO's dramatic acumen. SO WHO DECIDED TO HAVE HIM SPEAK IN THAT FAKE POLISH ACCENT? I'm usually a pretty non-violent person, but whoever it is should be shot. I'm quite sure Poles speak POLISH, at least among themselves, and to make matters worse the Nazi officers speak perfect English. Add to that the inexplicable quirk that this film was never released to theaters in the U.S. and finally came out direct to DVD four years after it was made, and you have the makings of a real jinx. To end on a positive note, there's a nearly unbelievable performance by 9-year-old Liam Hess, who consistently upstages HJO. Well, I guess turnabout is fair play...

This film is about a Jewish boy being sent to live with a catholic family during the Holocaust.

Normally, a film about a boy suffering in the Holocaust should be a sure tear jerker that touches people right to the core. An example is the Oscar winning "Life Is Beautiful", which to me is still the best film of all time.

However, "Edges of the Lord" is a rare example of a failed Holocaust film. It documents the mischiefs of a group of children that is only weakly related to the Holocaust, that they who could have been anyone in any place. The story is not engaging, and lacks emotional portrayal either, as it keeps going on and on about rather unusual acts between the children. Seriously, how could a teenage girl invite a young boy into a room for an hour and then want the other boys to stone her? Or a young boy running naked in the rain? The plot is weak to start with, and spirals out of control into unforgivable chaos that is beyond redemption.

The deadliest weak point though, is the accent. It is understandable that the director wants to make the film "authentic", but if so, why not make the film in Polish or in German? It would have been even more authentic, and easy on the ears. The resultant fake Polish accent in "Edges of the Lord" is a strange chimera that is very unpleasant on the ears.

The only strong point I can think of is the strong acting by Liam Hess. "Edges of the Lord" is still a big disappointment.

I found Edges Of The Lord to be a very touching and moving film! This film really unsettled me but that's what I loved about the film it really keeps you hooked and wondering what happens next.

Haley Joel Osment really proves he has a lot of acting talent! His acting performance was absolutely outstanding. All the way through the film his acting performance just kept showing how talented he really is. His performance in Edges Of The Lord was really touching and I found myself in tears over how realistic he was in this role! His accent was also perfect in this film. Willem Dafoe also gave a great performance he brought his character to life just like Haley Joel Osment did.

I overall am going to give this film a 10/10 it's unmissable it's one of the best, moving, touching on the edge of your seat war films I have ever seen! Everything about this film was just so realistic from the acting to the setting and the costumes. I totally recommend this film to anyone who loves a war film. Please be aware this is definitely not a children's film! This film even had me in tears by the end.

This is the MOST disturbing film I have seen in a long time. If you like this movie go rent Bastard out of Carolina. My God!! A child who believes he is Christ...meh? Good?? No!! Hangs himself on a tree?? No!! Good Movie?? NO!! Put it back where you found it and run away!! Why, oh why, would that dear boy whom everyone had such high hope for after the Sixth Sense be in something this truly traumatizing? At times I wished that I too had a whip so that I too could whip myself for renting this dreadful, horrifying, disturbing movie!! I was banned from the movie selecting for months after this one!! I repeat myself, do not get this movie!! Put it back on the self, that one in front of you, and leave. Go rent a happy movie. I recommend Max Magician and the Legand of the Rings. At least you will get a decent laugh.

"Edges of the Lord" tells of a young Jewish boy (Osment) who is sent to live in a rural village in Poland to escape the holocaust where he is schooled in Christianity by the local priest (Dafoe) and falls in with a group of pre and post pubescent kids. Full of filler and painfully slow moving at times, there's little meat on the bones of this film which gathers momentum past the halfway mark with some dramatic elements including a rape and a showdown with Nazis. However, the drama is underdone, too little too late. and poorly integrated. Most will find "Edges of the Lord" too slow. However, sentimentalists and others who can make the buy-in to this marginal story of children surviving under the pall of war will find the film an entertaining watch. Recommended for hanky ringers, sentimentalists, and others into films about children. (B-)

This is one of Haley's best movies, and I've seen most of his work. I had low expectations, when I started to watch this movie. Needless to say Edges of the Lord exceeded my expectations greatly. The acting in this movie was great. I felt the pains of the characters, as they lived their lives in the darkest days of WWII Poland. I loved the performance of young Liam Hess, he made this movie what it was, by the end of movie you will love him. If you haven't seen this movie yet, go out and find it,trust me by the end of the movie you will find yourself where I am now, writing to tell others how good this film was. If you are a Haley Joel fan this is on of his, hidden treasures. He played a part that I would have never pictured him in, and as usual he put the movie over the top. I just can't say enough about the cast of young actors in this film, all that is left to says is go ahead and rent or buy this movie.

"Edges of the Lord" is a mixed bag for a movie with pluses and minuses. The reviews I've read on it so far comment on just one aspect of the film. And, I can't tell if many of them got a very subtle point of the plot. Because of some of the film's weaknesses, I couldn't get as absorbed in it as I would normally for a story of this type. Three aspects of the film stand out most to me. I'll comment on each one after a thumbnail overview of the story line.

Haley Joel Osment plays Romek, a Jewish boy of 11 in 1939 when the Germans invade Poland at the start of WW II. His parents quickly try to train him in some prayers of the Catholic faith. They have found a peasant Catholic family living in the country who will take him in to save him from the Nazis. His parents were going to try to escape on their own. Romek's new family has two boys. One is about a year older than him – Vladek, played by Richard Banel. The other is younger, about seven – Tolo, played by Liam Hess. Their small hamlet has a priest, played by Willem Dafoe. These are the main characters.

There are other characters of course, and as the story moves along, we see everyone and the various incidents as through the eyes of Romek. And, that is key, because it's a story about a boy who was raised Jewish and in a city now being thrust into and experiencing a very different culture. I don't want to give away the ending, but it's the crux of the film, along with Romek's survival. Romek expresses his thanks for these people who didn't try to make him something he wasn't. Now, that's the story and the message.

This type of thing was repeated many times and in many places in Europe, so that Jewish people could be hidden and spared from the Nazi pogrom. One of the best movies that shows this on a broad scale is "The Assisi Underground." That was a true story, based on a book and produced by the author, a Jewish journalist who arrived at Assisi with the Allies during the war. There are other very good movies like this as well.

On the message level, this film is very good. And, the acting is very good by the entire cast – the Polish extras and bit players included. The problems with the film are mostly with the screenplay, the directing and editing. Some specific strong points are scenes of the boys watching the trains at night that are transporting Jews to death camps. Some of the people escape from the trains, and the Nazis hunt them down. We hear shouts in the distance and gunshots. One of the older boys preys on fleeing people for any valuables or good clothing they may still have. Other scenes add to the main plot. The boys see the priest try to catch pigs in order to save the lives of an elderly farm couple who had been hiding pigs. Of course he can't catch the pigs, and the Nazi officers get a good laugh at his futile attempts and rolling on the ground. They then shoot the woman and then the man in the head. The scenes of the priest instructing the children are part of the main plot, as are those with Romek and the priest as he explains Holy Communion to Romek.

So far, so good. But, then there are several other scenes that are extraneous to the story. These unnecessary sub-plots distract one from the main story. Several of these are about extreme behaviors on the part of the young Tolo, having to do with religion. He wears a cap under which he has made a type of crown of thorns. He asks his brother and Romek to tie him to a tree as if to be crucified. Toward the end, Tolo identifies himself with the Jews on the train. He denies being the brother of Vladek, and the Nazis put him on the death train. What that has to do with the story, I don't know. Was it an effort to mock religion?

The editing of the movie with these and other unrelated scenes woven in is not very fluid. So, the film is hackneyed and confusing. It distracts from the main focus. The playing and pranks of the children go on too long. A drunken neighbor peasant who later kills the father of the boys is a distraction. And, toward the end, we see nothing of reaction by the mother or village over Tolo's leaving on the train.

This film is hardly in the tradition of "Life is Beautiful." It has a good premise – to show that there were good people in Poland, including Catholic clergy, who risked their lives to help save Jews. And, as in this case, without requiring or forcing cultural or religious changes on the Jews. If this movie had stuck to that without the several mini-plots that it veers off into at times, it could have been much better– perhaps even a great film. But, as it is, the diversions, distractions, choppy script, weak direction and poor editing take too much away from the impact this film might otherwise have had.