Poignantly told subtleties of the human condition

Rating: Null/10 (22 October 2010)

I was engrossed in this film from the first minute. I am very impressed with Little's avoidance of the stereotypical "All Nazis bad, Allied forces good" non-sense. He does a brilliant job of showing that war has many faces, and tattooed across all those faces is regret - regret that they are they, regret they are not at home with loved ones, regret for what they must do and what they have done.
Previous reviewers mention religion, citing this movie sways viewers towards certain belief systems. I did not feel that way at all. Rather, the characters in this film are exposed to such discussion of philosophy to promote acceptance across borders, regardless of uniform. If there's any underlying philosophical message, it's that things happen for a reason, and in war, it is especially important to believe such. It is an attempt to maintain sanity in times of great trauma and hardship.
The production and photography was immersing, the film editing and sound design was masterful, and the acting was brave, elicited by a keen director. I'm no expert on WWII, so I'm sure there were some factual errors made on such a modest budget, but I felt for every one of these characters.