Hiver 42: Au nom des enfants

I consider this film to be the best one with Haley J. Osment. I must admit that first I watched it only because HJO was starring in it (and because the film was shot in my country, ie Poland). Not only does Haley play wonderfully, but also the film itself is very good, mixing the times of WWII with the fragile construction of children's psyche. The film was made in Poland, so it was very nice to see Haley playing in Polish landscapes. I must say I am very surprised that the film was not yet released in the US. In Poland it was shown in cinemas in 2001. In January 2003 the film was released on DVD. A few weeks ago (November 2003) the movie was on TV so it had really wide audience. I don't understand why such a good movie was not released in the US !! If you want, you can write to me: (make sure it's o2, and not 02).

I caught this unknown film on Polish television last night and was blown away. The following day as I write this I'm still haunted about some of the scenes towards the end.

With an excellent blend of Polish and international actors and actresses, this tale of the loss of childhood innocence during WW2 is as powerful and memorable as Schindler's List or the Pianist, and is certainly not for young children.

While Osmont's performance is great, it is Liam Hess as the young Tola who steals the film, a true innocent who longs to understand what it was like to be Jesus, an amazing characterisation by such a young boy.

There are moments of lovely humour in the film as you'd expect watching the innocent/stupid/naive things kids do, but the last thirty minutes are quite shocking and emotionally draining.

Congratulations to writer/director Yurek Bogayevicz and all involved, for a powerful piece of filmmaking.

I've been an avid Haley Joel Osment fan since his role as Forest Gump's son in the movie of the same name. I have followed this talented young man and seen him grow into one of the great Actors today (not child actors, mind you - he is a full blown actor, IMHO). I lay all this praise out there as a preface to comments since it is important to understand my next statement:

Why on Earth is movie not being distributed in the United States? Why not in World Wide distribution? Here you have an extremely talented cast, in a well thought out and written movie, and so few get to see it. There are some films that are "must see" for the sake of mankind and this is one of them. Is it as significant as Shindler's List? Probably not for the general audience. However, it is very significant for young audiences in their teenage years. I watched this film for the first time with my two sons (14 & 16) and was amazed to hear their perspective on a very difficult subject and time historically. While Shindler's List might help older audiences remember that there was a time that should not be repeated, Edges of the Lord will help teens (and some younger viewers) understand that we cannot allow a repeat of this time in history. My two (Catholic) boys have learned to live as a community from parents and friends that practice what they preach and this film opened their eyes to specifics that are not taught in school. It is very important for those living in relative comfort to see what peers overseas lived like in horrifying circumstances. To have to have grown up so fast. The story captures what should not be forgotten and reminds those of us that know to educate those that don't. Impressive....

The film's star, Haley Joel Osment, is accurate with his acting - voice and accent, and is believable. Haley is amazing in that he can pull you into the world he's in and keep you there. What a gift he has and aren't we lucky to see it grow! Mr. Defoe is excellent. The children in the village are excellent. The set / location and costumes are perfect.

I had to buy this film from Brazil. Miramax, if you are listening, get this film to as many screens as you can! Be responsible, please! At least, release it on DVD. No one should ever forget, and your film will assist in that goal.

Haley has brought another movie to life, but this time he is not the only young actor to give a truly moving performance. Liam Hess really takes on Tolo's emotions and brings them out expertly to give a very convincing performance. One of England's hidden talents. The casting worked well with talent from Canada, USA, England, & Poland all coming together to create a movie that was a delight to watch. Look out for Haley's father/coach who also takes a small role in the movie. I liked the movie's originality, beautiful setting and realism. A classic, and one that you will not quickly forget.

"Edges of the lord" is a low-budget World War II drama about an intelligent young Jewish boy, geniusly portrayed by Haley Joel Osment, who is seperated from his parents in the very beginning of the film by the Nazis, invading Poland. The boy is sent, kicking and screaming, to relatives living in a captured village far from the larger communities. There he integrates with the family under hard prohibition from revealing that he is a Jew. He bonds especially with the youngest son of his host family, the imaginative and charismatic Tolo, who is played to excellence by newcomer Liam Hess, and his older brother Vladek (Richard Banel). As the plot moves forward we see the Nazi oppression of the Polish farmers and one of many faces of war: betrail and looting of prisoners of war, even by the Polish locals. Osment's character is, for the first time, demanded to go to church, read Christian psalms and hide his Jewish origin. The local priest, played by Willem Dafoe, offers him an alternative by schooling him separately and letting him perform the Christian traditions as a sole appearance. The story is full of moral choices and dilemmas that gets you thinking about, although not very sympathetic, for the characters' situations in life. This movie has shown me nothing more than what I have already seen. Many outstanding performers are fighting the edgeless script and make the film worth seeing. Perhaps expectations were set to high, but I would only be able to give this interesting flop a 7 for really good acting and an interesting theme.