This way-too-short film has its heart and moral outrage in the right place, but its execution is all wrong.
In Nazi Germany, Peter (Knox Gibson) is a young boy missing part of his arm. During prayers one night, Peter questions his mother (Hanneke Talbot), who is also his school teacher, as to why they should forgive the Nazis. By chance, soldiers stop at their house to take Peter because of his disability, and Peter must fight back.
This didn't feel like a short film, it felt like some footage that was shot in order to get financing to make a feature-length film based on Peter's story. The cinematography is breathtaking, and Gibson is perfectly cast- physically looking like the Nazi-ideal German male, except for the missing limb. Much has been made in other reviews about the historical inaccuracies of the film, especially in the closing coda. I'm not familiar with this part of World War II history to argue it, but this is a perfect example of not taking everything you see onscreen as historical truth, whether it be in a film, television show, or online.
The main problem here is the climax. I don't want to spoil it too much, but there is a physical altercation that has little bearing in reality. I didn't believe it could happen for one second, and Peter's reaction to it is puzzling. Although this is arguing against punishing people for their disabilities, something I think we can all get behind, the film makers make a strong pro-life argument at the beginning of the film during a classroom scene, which is a little surprising coming from the profoundly Liberal entertainment industry. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. I saw this on a streaming service, so finding a physical copy of it might prove difficult, but it is out there.
(TV-14)- Physical violence, some gun violence, mild gore, adult situations
