Corra, Menino, Corra

I came across this movie by pure chance. Browsing through DVDs in the supermarket I bought it on a whim. Boy, am I glad I did. Given the subject matter it is grim in places (and if you don't shed a tear at times you have no heart!) but please do not let this put you off viewing what is in the end a truly inspiring tale of courage and fortitude overcoming the horrors of The Holocaust. I viewed it under the title 'Escape From Warsaw' and struggled to find it under this name on IMDb. And when I did find it, I was amazed to find it only had a rating of 7/10. Not bad of course, but this movie for me deserves a 10.

The little boy who plays the lead is totally convincing and acts way beyond his years. The rest of the cast is also excellent and the Polish countryside and forests are seen in all their glory throughout. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.

The movie is so good, I couldn't hold my tears while watching .... Mercy is the foundation of all religions !!

I starting watching this film on Netflix and was about to turn it off when I saw the sub-titles. I really don't like to have to read them. I prefer movies I watch to be in English but I just couldn't turn it off. I was immediately drawn in and didn't mind the sub-titles at all. There wasn't not a lot of dialog anyway. This film is so beautifully done, the story, the music and the time period in history. It is a heartbreaking series of events. The young boy's acting is superb and you feel as if you are right there with him as he struggles to survive in the cruel world of the Holocaust. It is far from happy but definitely worth watching. I recommend this movie. It will stay with me for a long time.

A Jewish orphan escapes the Warsaw ghetto only to find hardships wherever he runs. This is a beautifully shot movie lovingly presenting Poland. The story of this boy, his trials, the friends he finds, the friends he loses, is a wild tale with endearing characters every so often. It reminds me of just how absurd a world the Nazis built.

Lauf Junge lauf (2013) is a German/Polish film shown in the US with the title "Run Boy Run." It was directed by Pepe Danquart. The movie tells the harrowing story of Srulik, a Jewish boy who escapes the Warsaw ghetto and survives--by using his wits and his courage--in rural Poland.

Kamil Tkacz brilliantly plays Srulik. (Srulik changes his name to Jurek Staniak in order to pass as a Gentile.) There really was a Srulik, so this film is partially a documentary. It's not an easy film to watch, because Srulik's life is horribly difficult, and every respite is followed by yet another near-death experience.

The Poles Srulik meets range from evil (turning him over to the Germans for a reward) to neutral, to wonderful. In fact, the actions of the Polish people Surlik encounters make up the bulk of the story. However, ever present, even off-screen, is the huge evil of the Holocaust.

It's hard to believe that the occupying Germans would spend so much time and energy trying to catch one young Jewish boy, but that was the reality. Srulik was never safe. He was safer or less safe, but never truly safe.

I think this extraordinary film is worth seeking out and watching. It will work well on DVD, but we were fortunate enough to see it at the excellent Dryden Theatre, as part of the superb Rochester Jewish Film Festival.

P.S. As I write this review, Run Boy Run carries a dismal 6.5 IMDb rating. I think that's because the film has so many bad moments, and so few truly happy ones. Still, it's an excellent movie, and, in my opinion, deserves a much higher rating.