User reviews

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.

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.

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")

i was a little uncertain when i was first introduced to this film...my friend had bought it and it really didn't seem interesting, i mean come on...another nazi v. jew film but i was surprised...

this story is origional following a little boy who is left alone and is being hunted by the nazi's. his courage comes from a book and his best friend is a little mouse named snow...

the story follows the boy as he decides to wait in dangerous territory for his father, whom although was taken away, promised to return...

this is a touching story and a great chapter for anyone iterested in this tragic time period...

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.

A beautiful story of a little boy's love and faith in his father set during a time of great shame for all mankind. A lesson we still revisit now! Good acting etc but the script dragged at times and I would have liked to know more about the other characters that came and went.Who was the character that was shot and then nursed by the boy? A polish freedom fighter or a Jewish man on the run? Why was the Doctor arrested? etc etc. 7/10

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.

I had mixed feelings, after seeing "The Island on Bird Street".

The boy playing Alex was great, it was a very good choice not to portray him as some kind of hero, but just as a frightened, yet ingenious boy. Watching him really made this movie worth while. But, except for the boy's character, the director only used cliches. It would have been a much better movie if he would have evaded them. My vote: for the movie 6 out of 10, for the boy 9 out of 10!

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 film unfolds with a deliberate austerity that meticulously captures the stark realities of wartime survival from a child's perspective, making it a significant, though often underappreciated, precursor within the WWII micro-historical subgenre. Visually, the film employs a muted, desaturated palette and subdued lighting that immerse the viewer in the bombed-out urban landscape, evoking a suffocating atmosphere of isolation and vulnerability. The cinematography frequently relies on tight close-ups that emphasize the protagonist's emotional state, contrasted with wide, empty shots of ruined streets and buildings that underscore the pervasive destruction. This restrained visual language avoids the grandiosity typical of many war films, instead favoring an intimate, almost claustrophobic immersion in the protagonist's experience.

Technically, the film benefits from a carefully crafted production design that authentically reconstructs a war-torn cityscape with meticulous period detail. While budget constraints sometimes result in minimalistic sets and effects, these choices serve the narrative's focus on psychological endurance rather than spectacle. The sound design complements this with a sparse soundscape: moments of near silence broken by distant explosions, the creaking of debris, or the boy's quiet movements heighten tension and underscore the constant threat surrounding him. The minimal musical score reinforces the film's somber tone, favoring subtle, ambient textures over sweeping orchestral gestures, which enhances the immersive, reflective mood but diverges from the more emotive scores typical of larger WWII productions.

The young lead delivers a compelling and restrained performance, skillfully conveying a complex blend of fear, resilience, and innocence that anchors the film emotionally. The acting overall avoids melodrama, relying on subtle expressions and body language to evoke empathy. Secondary characters, while less developed, effectively contribute to the atmosphere of desolation and danger.

A particularly rich point of comparison is The Pianist (2002), which shares this film's focus on solitary survival amid the ruins of a Nazi-occupied city. In many respects, The Pianist appears to draw significant inspiration from the earlier film's aesthetic and narrative approach. Both films use muted lighting and desaturated colors to convey a world drained of vitality, employing tight framing to emphasize the protagonists' isolation. However, while The Pianist expands the narrative scope, following its protagonist over a longer period with a more complex psychological arc and richer character development, it seems to build upon the groundwork laid by the 1997 film's intimate portrayal of a child navigating urban desolation.

The thematic and stylistic parallels go deeper: the minimalistic soundscapes, the use of silence as a narrative tool, and the restrained musical scoring in The Pianist echo the earlier film's choices, though with greater resources and polish. The emotional tone of quiet endurance, the focus on everyday survival amid overwhelming chaos, and the childlike vulnerability at the heart of both stories suggest that The Pianist's acclaimed portrayal owes a clear debt to this prior work. The 1997 film's emphasis on internal struggle over external action arguably paved the way for The Pianist's more expansive meditation on memory and trauma.

Produced in the late 1990s, this film belongs to a wave of European cinema that shifted WWII narratives towards personal, psychologically nuanced stories. Its somber, reflective tone reflects a post-Cold War cultural moment increasingly interested in memory, trauma, and the resilience of the individual rather than grand ideological battles or heroic myths. This context explains its subdued, almost reverential approach to war's human cost-especially the shattering impact on youth-which in turn shaped the cinematic language adopted by subsequent films like The Pianist.

While its deliberate pacing and minimalistic style may challenge viewers expecting conventional war drama, the film's technical precision, atmospheric direction, and nuanced performances combine to create a hauntingly authentic portrait of survival. Far from merely a smaller-scale wartime story, it stands as a foundational text in the micro-historical WWII subgenre-an essential predecessor that quietly but decisively influenced one of the era's most celebrated war films.

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.

The difference between the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw and the rest of the city of Warsaw during the German occupation was greater than living on one side of the Berlin Wall during the division of Germany.

For most occupants of the Jewish Ghetto, the only escape from their plight was to go to various death camps, where their chances of survival were quite low. Director Soren Kragh-Jacobsen does a superb job of directing young talent, Jordan Kizluk as Alex, an 11 year old boy left on his own for months to fend for himself in the smoldering ruins of the ghetto.

I found the film to be very intense, but I did have a problem with the ending. I will not reveal the ending, but there seems to be no logical explanation for it happening. However, with this film, it is the trip itself, not the eventual destination that matters. See it for yourself.

The most successful films about that most enormous of subjects, the holocaust, often take a sideways glance rather than stare full on at the horror; and 'The Island on Bird Street' does likewise, telling the story of a boy left behind after the clearance of the Warsaw ghetto. Unfortunately, the psychology of the child is never satisfactorily realised, turning the film into a mere linear sequence of events, almost like a Boys' Own adventure with little of the context seeping through. The story also ends short of the arrival of the Russians, which might have added a little moral complexity; and overall, seems to suffer from the decision use an English script, especially as some characters put on central European accents and others do not. A reliable plus is Zbigniew Priesner's typically excellent score, but there are other films that offer more real insight into the true nature of life under the Nazi's; for example, try the Czech-set 'Divided we Fall'.

First i have to say i despise the extremely strong british accents of the cast. Detracts so much from the experience (movie takes place in poland); the spoken german by the soldiers sounded equally as convincing....

That aside, the movie starts off slow and a little weird with choice of lighting, backdrops, scene cuts.. Couple up with the way the cast talks it feels like a stage play which isn't really that great of a thing to have in a movie. It manages to recover around midpoint and become a compelling story that ditches that stage feel as much as it can - keep in mind the filming location is basically a confined space.

By the end i cared what would happen to alex and if he would make it. It also sparked interest at what would happen to the other characters too, some of which we have known very briefly and they have very limited screen time. Yet they put in enough there for you to get the general idea of them; something today's movies are incapable of achieving it seems. Giving you the ilk of a character in 30 seconds is a lost art and that is done here very well.

This is not a war story as much as it is a survival story and ones faith in their family. It drives the point that no matter what, and who you meet in life, family is always something that will be dearest. There could have been so many choices that could have gone another way but they stuck with the lead being stubborn, for lack of a better word. Ultimately that paid off because it complimented the storyline well.

The ending is a little dubious and could be taken in several ways... was it real, was it not.. it leaves open the door that some of it was imagined but that is up to everybody to see it how they want to see it. Movie really leaves both options open as logical conclusions. Once you get to the end scene you will see why I am having a mention of this.

I was entertained, despite the over the top british cast and that weird stage feel for part of it... it fixed itself and became a solid movie.

I don't know if the story's true - it might be. Makes you think. At times makes you even feel that it is real - right in very front of you.

I found myself from all the hiding games. The boy's events were partly an adventure - playing hide and seek with the gestapo (panthers) all by himself with his assistant Snow (Friday). And partly a nightmare where the war grips everything away and leaves you no choice but to crawl into your hideout and cry. You really feel&fear for the kid when soldiers come to find the last of the Jews again and again and again...

I think the director made quite a decent job (at least above the average) by telling the story so visually. Not too much talking here - and it is mostly in English, which is odd. Although some scenes I would've done differently.

I didn't know the composer was Z.Preisner until read it here, but you sure will notice a meister at work. At least when the ending credits roll.

With the Nazis having reduced Warsaw to little more than rubble, the young "Alex" (Jordan Kiziuk) is separated from his family, who have been sent to a concentration camp, and is now forced to scavenge as best he can amongst the ruins. Fortunately, this is a resourceful young lad who quickly learns his way around the ghetto using the sewers and the attics to keep himself safe. That's easier said than done as the water supply has been turned off and food is extremely scarce. There are still people in the city but with plenty prepared to turn him in for an apple or a loaf of bread, he has to be very wary of whom he can trust. His encounter with fellow refugees "Freddy" (Lee Ross) and "Henyrk" (Simon Gregor) alerts him to a way out of their squalid environment into safer parts but he still hopes for a reunion with his dad "Stefan" (Patrick Bergin) and for that to happen, however unlikely, he must risk remaining in a Jewish quarter that is being slowly demolished by the invaders. It's a lot of responsibility for this young lad who really only has himself and his pet mouse "Snow" against perils around every corner, and Kiziuk holds that role together engagingly well. This film is also quite interesting in that it tells us the story from that child's perspective which offers quite an affecting way to demonstrate both the brutishness of the soldiers and their indiscriminate thuggery as neither age nor sex made the slightest difference to the treatment they received. The production takes us deep into the infrastructure of "Ptasia Street" and into the psychology of both this boy and those he encounters as he must live his life by his guile and with some occasional goodwill, and though the brutality isn't as graphic as in many similar stories, it is just as impactful. It's quite compelling to watch and his choice of book - "Robinson Crusoe" rather sums the whole thing up.

What is it about "The Island on Bird Street" that holds such magic? It's a precarious thing, this film. There are obvious faults, such as the jarring British accents and the (at times) cheap-looking cinematography. Then there's every single other thing. The acting is of an unbelievably high standard. Jordan Kiziuk (as Alex) is desperate, fascinating, comedic, frightened. He expresses emotions with such a purity. His face draws you in, wraps you up in his worries and curiosities. Against all odds, he carries an entire film. Also, I must mention the music of Zbigniew Preisner. I grew up listening to his music on my favorite childhood film, "The Secret Garden". His score creates a sense of pure wonder and fear.

From a visual standpoint, I found this film off-putting at times. It looks too low-quality, too much like a television production. But in spite of this, it drew me in. By the end of the story, I found myself completely wrapped up inside it. Please see this.

Based on a true story, this movie is about survival in a jewish ghetto in occupied Poland during WW2. It shows in what deprived conditions people were living in a jewish ghetto. Well, "surviving" would be the better word, since they were threatened with their lives from all sides. Not only from the Germans, but most astonishingly from their own people. The latter is very well shown in this movie, whereby you will see the jewish "ghetto police" working hand-in-hand with the SS. A thing that not many people realize, is that the "Jewish Council" of a Ghetto preyed on their own people by trying to favour their own jewish family and friends above the fate of other jewish people.

What this movie also shows in an excellent way, is the two completely different worlds that "coexist" next to each other. Two worlds that are separated by a wall, whereby in one world, people live a quite comfortable everyday life, whilst just a few yards away - in the jewish ghetto - people are literally starving whilst having to run for their lives in just a few moments of time.

Both the acting and the cinematography are great. I personally think that one of the main requirements of a WW2 movie, is that it is able to "transport" the viewer to the situation it was during those days. And this movie is clearly able to deliver upon that requirement. It is also quite astonishing to see such a young actor play the main role of this movie.

Overall, I score this movie at 7.4/10, resulting in a 7-star IMDb score.

I only heard how awful the struggle was, but watching the movie made me empathize for the struggle. This movie almost transformed me there into the ghetto. I could almost feel what it would have been like for a Jew in the Nazi regime. One of the best movies that I have ever watched and I suggest anyone interested in this topic to watch it.

I would rate it in the same class as Schindler's list, but a contrast in story, since here it is a small kid helping himself and others, at the same time standing his ground in the worst circumstances. One other movie to watch is "Life is beautiful".

Lastly, I think a 10 line review is not necessary to sell a movie of this class

If it wasn't made by Kragh-Jacobsen I would be surprised.

But there are not many directors who can make a movie about a child, a whole movie with one child as a hero, a main character, and avoid one of two possible traps: either make a (usually low-intelligent) movie for kids (and adults who can believe it) and turn hero to superhero who can solve all problems and beat everybody all alone, or make a movie where all tragedies have to happen to a single child so the target adult audience can fill the bucket by draining their tear glandes.

Scandinavian authors are better than any others able to make a real movie about real children. They (as I wrote on another board) understand children as if they had invented them. Unfortunately, some modern, especially Danish movies suffer from Hollywoodization and though some can be good (like Klatretosen) they don't belong to the great tradition, they don't succeed the great movies from former decades.

Kragh-Jacobsen is not a typical example, but among the best. "Bird Street" is not exception, he made several movies about children in very different situations, but in similar style: these movies are about kids, can be watched by kids, but mostly try to present real kids to adults. However, he became worldwide famous by "Mifunes sidste sang". It's not a surprise because many western countries avoid Scandinavian kids movies, because they are too different. British authors used to do something in this style (sometimes even in darker mood like Loach), American kids are too infantile (but still beat adults...), Italians are too mature (because of social context), Czechs forgot that they have children (and were among the best in 70's), so only French authors can stand next to Scandinavians. And these movies don't seem to have audience in USA, either for not being interesting (for kids), or even for being controversial (for adults). As USA creates an opinion in almost whole world, things that are not accepted there usually can't make international success, and are convicted to stay within local region.

"Gummi Tarzan" was one of the first movies which seriously admitted that bullying exists and is a problem. "Skyggen af Emma" (his best work in my opinion) strongly opposes modern world widespread paranoia that makes our lives miserable, almost worthless. In both movies kids are involved in different and firm interactions with other people.

"Island on Bird Street" is a one-actor movie like Spielberg's "Duel". Unlike some dark power personalized in Spielberg's truck driver this movie deals with a very recognizable, yet equally dark power of nazism. And, what some other comments declare to be a fault, I find to be brilliant: Alex is not a superhero. He didn't do much exceptional things. His biggest success was that he survived. He often simply had luck. There are no cartoon Culkin tricks: he is afraid, he hides as every normal kid would do, and sometimes when he seems to do something brave, it is more because of hopeless resignation. But in the same time he can still feel joy in small things and in spite of accelerated maturation he keeps the soul of child and his real age comes to surface whenever allowed by the circumstances.

Two flaws: First, English language, and there is nothing to justify it. Second, the ending which is too false-romantic for reality (not fitting in harsh, cruel world of former 100 minutes)), and too vague if not realistic (being e.g. a dream in agony).

Neither of it should give second thoughts to any of those who believe that kids are still kids, despite what modern society tries to make them to be or make us believe they are. And if you are this kind of person, probably your children are ready to watch it with you.

Good story I guess.

Terrible script and the casting is awful. All the adults speak with an odd German or other accent and all of the children sound fresh from the halls of Eton.

Switched off after half an hour as I found it too tame and wishy washy.

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.

An amazing account of the struggle of an eleven year old boy to survive in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII. Excellent photography and a remarkable performance by the young boy.

To see this movie gave me the feeling of what it was like during this time in our history that is sad at what the Jewish people went through. At the same time amazed at what a young boy of 11 could do to survive and live in this period.