Secretos de guerra

I have no other choice but to give it a 10. It is a beautiful movie. Yes, the theme is "war" but the subject isn't. I saw it as a movie purely about friendship and nothing else. Yes, both boys lost their innocence due to the cruelty of war. Yes, their friendship got to be tested quite a few times throughout the movie but at the end it was their friendship that saved both boys.

Both boy actors, Maas Bronhuyzen and Joes Brauens were terrific. They conveyed their feelings and emotions in a way a seasoned actor would do. Dialogs were short and to the point without wasting viewers time with lengthy conversations trying to convince viewers about main characters feelings, emotions and thoughts. In three specific scenes the facial expressions, the emotion and the acting in general felt very real and convincing. The ending scene sealed the movie and the friendship and with no doubt it became obvious that both friends have their hearts set in the right place.

If you haven't seen it yet, make an effort then.

I ran across this movie while going through Amazon Prime movies. I have never been a real fan of Dutch movies, but this is absolutely the most incredible movie I have ever seen -- my new no. 1 favorite. It had me sobbing at the end. So sensitively done. Shows how friendship -- enduring friendship -- can continue whether separated by place or even death. I'll never forget this one.

Times are hard in the German-occupied Netherlands, not least for young Tuur. He's worried that his parents seem to be working for the resistance movement and he can't get his head around the ambivalence of his peers to the occupying force. At the same time, he has to stick up for his best friend Lambert, whose family are Nazi sympathisers.

To crown it all, when he falls in love with the new girl in town, Maartje, she reveals a dangerous secret to him...

This isn't the most sophisticated of World War II movies, though it has an entertaining and engaging plot. What makes the film notable is the portrayal of the two principal boys by Maas Bronkhuyzen and Joes Brauers. The interplay between the cheeky and wonderfully expressive Tuur and the stoical but tender-hearted Lambert creates magic that saves this film from mediocrity.

The central themes of loyalty and courage will appeal particularly to younger viewers making this a good bet for family viewing.

It is not easy to combine war environment and children's daily life and activities, particularly under any occupation, air raid or other events incompatible with "normal" childhood. On the other hand, these are the times when friendship, common interests, rivalry matter most, and all this - plus other important factors - have been here capably depicted. Child actors provide particularly good performances, but due to their character's age, one can not blame them for not understanding "global realities", e.g. holocaust; moreover, Nazi occupation in Holland was not so harsh as in Eastern Slavic areas, for example. Providing different undertones or scenes would have meant moving beyond children's film concept, towards aware/knowledgeable deeds, but the main characters were about 10 years old!

All in all, a good combination of World War II history and life in an occupied township. Not all films should deal with "correct" attitudes towards Jews...

I am blown away. I won't give away the plot or outcome.

For folks familiar with that time, they will understand.

While fiction i can just imagine this is a reflection of the truth that happened to millions caught up in the maelstrom of those days inflicted on the world by Hitler and his willing evil henchmen.

I am glad i found this film.

So very well done.

Innocence meets reality of children coming of age.

Not your typical war film, this takes the story of the impact of the war to a very personal level.

Highly recommended video!