TMG Scale 8.0
Starring No one you have ever heard of, or ever will. German and mostly subtitled
Near the end of World War II, the mayor of a small town in Holland does what it takes to keep peace with the Nazi occupation forces. The Germans know his wife and children. The mutual respect maintains a fragile balance. The tense blance is shaken when his 14 year old son, Michiel becomes involved with the German Resistance after coming to the aid of a young and injured and downed British RAF flyer.
This film feels so real and is so well written. If it had a big Hollywood budget with names like Jessie Eisenberg and Jennifer Lawrence and perhaps Kevin Bacon, it might have been a big hit.
The story is compelling on so many levels. in WWII people all over Europe lived in gripping fear of the Nazi troops. Many people in occupied countries were forced to strike an uneasy relationship with German troops just to survive. Fourteen year old boys may have seen their fathers capitulate to or break bread with German leaders they all despised. At the age of 14, concepts of right and wrong may have gotten confused in the struggle to simply survive. This film takes one family and one incident and conveys an import chapter in human history.