Coragem e Esperança

Director Soren Kragh-Jacobsen sure picked his young protagonist well -- Jordan Kiziuk as Alex in the Danish film "The Island on Bird Street" practically carried the film by his undeniably superb performance. The film is about a Jewish young boy, bordering teens, his survival "adventure" in Poland during Nazi occupation.

How heartwarming can an uneasy wartime premise be? It actually achieves beyond "Jakob the Liar" -- Alex's courage, his creative ways in taking care of himself when he's all alone, his tenacity and steadfast belief that his Dad would come back for him…hold its own. And there is suspense: we fear for him, we want him to succeed, we pain, and we felt angst and joy with him. The set of his hide-out is somehow graphically appealing: a solitary, broken brick wall arrangement, with atmospheric lighting, and momentary interludes: a solitary dog on a street, paper off the ground dancing in the wind…

Music is by Zbigniew Preisner (Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Trois couleurs: Bleu" 1993, "Rouge" 1994, "The Double Life of Veronique" 1991, also "Fairy Tale: A True Story" 1997), hauntingly complements the plot. This may not be of Hollywood stature likened to "The Schindler's List", yet it's a small film with powerful impressions. It's a life-affirming story. Alex hanged on to hope -- we can, too.

This story was great. I was on the edge of my seat worried for the boy the whole time. It brought out a strong emotional response considering there is so little dialog. Almost as good as Schindlers List if not so much an epic. Makes you want to go after the Nazi's yourself. Because of the Nazi's this boy endures and is forced to do things that a Little boy should never have to do. He survives only due to his ingenuity, bravery, and the compassion of a few that don't agree with what the Nazi's are doing to Jews in Poland. A must see, but bring your Kleenex. It has very little dialog, but the visual story and the music set the mood.

I came to this film cold. I turned on the TV between housework and getting ready for the family to come home at the end of the day. I missed the very beginning but was soon captured by the film.

I enjoyed it that much I tried to loan the book from my local library but was told it was out of print and not available. I would still like to compare the film with the original book as I often find that by their very nature books deal with thoughts and feelings in more depth.

I feel that the film gives a glimmer of insight into the times and trials of Jewish families during the war. I am someone born over a decade after the war ended, in a European country not really touched by the ravaging of the Jews. Someone who does not know anyone personally touched by these affairs. Someone who is a parent. I'd recommend this film to anyone who meets those criteria.

I re-watched it again on 22nd January and had my 16 year old daughter watch it. I felt it warranted this second watching and my daughter also approved of it. This is the type of film that could be shown to High school students.

Not least because it is apparently a true story. Alex is an 11 year old boy, stuck in an almost empty city awaiting his father's return. The plot, though slow is tense, holding an audience's attention throughout. What I most liked about this film was the sense of realness, as I watched it(though the language was English) I felt that somehow I was in fact watching an actually documentary as it unfolded. the clothes the sets the streets, everything was real. The acting is so well performed I could easily assume that these were real people, in particular Jordan Kiziuk's performance of Alex. The ending was tear-jerking, and I mean big blobby tears that swam in torrents. It was an all-round wonder to watch.

My soul bleeds. I'm sorry for Alex. I am glad with Alex. I was cold with Alex. I was jealous of Alex, I wanted to be alex. and music by Zbigniew Preisner. words are insufficient. I need to find the Blu * ray edition.

So, the setting of this is essentially a story about a kid living in the ghetto with his uncle and his father in Poland under Nazi occupation. The nazis just love rounding up people and murdering the hell out of them because they are evil. Anyhow, this kid is basically all alone and in hiding in these mostly demolished buildings. This film is his tale. The story was excellent. Anybody who watches too many movies about the holocaust or ww2 should do themselves a favor and check this out if it's available to them.