exceptionally gritty and realistic

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2006)

This film was no fun to watch, nor should it have been considering it is about the Nazi atrocities in Belarus during WWII--as seen through the eyes of a young recruit for the partisans. This young boy appears to be about 12 or maybe 13, though through the course of the film, he ages what appears to be many years, though the action that occurs seemed to take place over just a few days. The movie was a solid recreation of the horrors and is good because it makes the faces and lives affected by this sick war so very real. Because of its content, it is not a film for children, though it probably is okay for teens provided you discuss the movie with them afterwards. No serious complaints about the movie at all, though it would have been nice if the German planes they used in the film weren't the same FW-189 reconnaissance aircraft over and over again--but this is the most minor of complaints--it was a great picture overall.