The Boy in the Woods

The story is very well written and wonderfully acted. Knowing that it is true makes it that much more heartbreaking and touching. I'm shocked at reviews who complain that « these stories are overdone ».

It is the true story of a young jewish boy who was able to avoid capture by the nazis by surviving in the woods for nearly a year. He was initially helped by a farmer and later on befriended another boy in the woods when staying at the farm became too risky. The pair rely on each other during hardship but make the most of it by maintaining their playfulness and youth.

Set in what was then known as Poland (now a part of Ukraine) in 1944.

It's 1943. Max (Jett Klyne) is a Jewish boy from Buchach in modern day Ukraine. He escapes from a prison camp leaving behind his mother and sister. His aunt buys him sanctuary with a family, but eventually he is forced to hide in the woods.

This is a true story. I wouldn't ask the filmmaker to fictionalize anything that she doesn't want to. It does lose intensity over time as he spends time in the woods. The story feels like it's meandering from one event to the next. The early escape remains the most compelling scene in the movie. This is certainly an important story to tell. I'm not convinced that it's a good telling.

Where do I start? There are so many criticisms of this movie that I'm only going to mention the most obvious. The most glaring is the 'shaky camera syndrome' which will induce an epileptic reaction in the more sensitive viewers, but appears to be popular among the less gifted directors these days. Second on the list is the horrendous acting. Hard to take anything they say or do seriously. Next is the wardrobe. It appears they went to the local second hand bin to retrieve the costumes. Perhaps it was due to the budget; which apparently was bare minimal. Lastly; these type of films seem to be churned out ad nauseam these days, and frankly, are getting so predictable and tiresome.

Jett Klyne plays "Max" a 12 year old boy who manages to escape a Nazi loading operation that takes his mother (Katherine Fogler (Faigie) and little sister off to be executed and mass buried in their hometown in Poland. He doesn't realize that until much later. He manages to find his way to a farm for awhile then out to the forest where he manages to survive off mushrooms, fish, berries and the occasional rabbit all the while doing his best to avoid Nazi colluders who are all searching for hidden Jews to get the reward. (Goes to show the depravity of mankind during this historic period) Nothing questionable, no violence but it is implied, no nudity. Lots of murder and dead bodies lying about rotting. It amazes me that this kind of thing is still going on now. Hopefully soon this will all stop for good. A fine watch and historical as well, the last bit has a piece with Max today visiting those who survived with him. Enjoy!

I'm a big fan of Richard Aremitage from his work in MI-5 and other projects so he was the main reason I purchased this video. And I have a big interest in WWll stories like this one about a young Jewish boy separated from his Mom who is sent to a concentration camp But neither Richard nor the young actor playing the boy in the woods can save the film from being a painfully slow, near wordless 90 minute cure for insomnia. There isn't much to the story; a young boy left to fend for himself during the Nazis occupation of Poland. The dialogue is minimal and many scenes of the boy in the woods go on and on adding up to nothing. It all adds up to a waste of 90 minutes of your time watching a film you won't likely enjoy.