Coragem e Esperança

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.

This movie is fantastic, one of the best I have ever seen in a long time. I was surprised to see that it is from 1997 because until I turned onto BBC2 today, I had never even heard of it.

Although this is a simple, some say linear story of Nazi Germany vs the Jewish community telling of one boys struggle to survive on his own to wait for his father, it really draws you in.

In the same vein as movies like DARYL, or Finding Neverland, it does not rely cheap gimmicks. Instead we find a gripping a story that draws you in. You become attached to the characters and really feel for them. It stirs up quite a bit of emotion. I was dancing all over the room at one point biting my nails.

This is a fantastic story with some brilliant acting. The main focus is on Alex, played by Jordan Kiziuk. Im surprised he hasn't done anything before or since as he played a brilliant part, even if his accent is a little dodgy.

The director has done a fantastic job in the telling of the story. It is one of those underrated films that you must watch if you ever get a chance.

Left alone to fend for himself in the rubble of the Warsaw ghetto, 11 year old Alex (Jordan Kiziuk) must try to survive and also avoid the ever-present Nazi soldiers in this gripping, intensely moving film. The viewer becomes totally involved with Alex and his plight, as he courageously and inventively continues to avoid detection. The acting, particularly that of young Kiziuk and the late Jack Warden as his kindly uncle Baruch, is superb. The dialog is fairly sparse, letting Alex's expressions and body language show his fears and emotions, which are masterfully rendered. The production design is incredible, and one feels transported to that time and place. The musical score is appropriately somber and haunting, and the cinematography stunning. Some reviewers have commented on the British accents of several characters, but I don't feel that it's a detriment. Overall, an outstanding cinematic achievement, deserving of its many awards. Appropriate for older children (12 and up), though there are several scenes that contain violence. Well worth seeking out, this is a film you won't easily forget. Highest recommendation.

In Poland, the eleven year-old Alex (Jordan Kiziuk) lives with his father Stefan (Patrick Bergin) and his uncle Boruch (Jack Warden) in a Ghetto hidden when the Germans make the "selection" to send people to the concentration camps. When the dwellers are withdrawn from the Ghetto to the trains, Alex stays alone with his house mouse Snow waiting for the promised return of his father. Along the months, he stays hidden in a derelict building reading "Robinson Crusoe" and other books. His routine life changes when a German soldier will shoot two Polish resistance members and Alex kills him with his gun.

"The Island on Bird Street" is a little unknown gem based on a true story of survival of an eleven year-old boy in a Ghetto in the German occupied Poland. Jordan Kiziuk has good performance and the music score is excellent. In 1997 it was successfully released on VHS in Brazil but unfortunately was forgotten by the distributors. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Coragem e Esperança" ("Courage and Hope")

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.