The Boy in the Woods

It's 1943. Max (Jett Klyne) is a Jewish boy from Buchach in modern day Ukraine. He escapes from a prison camp leaving behind his mother and sister. His aunt buys him sanctuary with a family, but eventually he is forced to hide in the woods.

This is a true story. I wouldn't ask the filmmaker to fictionalize anything that she doesn't want to. It does lose intensity over time as he spends time in the woods. The story feels like it's meandering from one event to the next. The early escape remains the most compelling scene in the movie. This is certainly an important story to tell. I'm not convinced that it's a good telling.

I had to write something because I was stunned at the low rating here on IMDB. The movie was for me waaaay better than current 5,4 stars (August 2024).

As fiction it would have not worked, but as it is a true story it hits differently. There are connections made to real life people and events. It's amazing what people have had to survive. And how little it takes to either continue or end generations. This is not a movie about atrocities of the Holocaust, altough they obviously are a the root of all that happens. I liked this one person survival perspective and this type of story that's rare in this context.

The boy lead does a wonderful job, as does his buddy in the film. There are some quite cliche types here and there, but then again I'm sure that's how they were, and I'll have to take in the film makers' vision.

I'm happy that I got to experience this story. Thank you. I will now research if I can find the documentary referenced at the end.

Where do I start? There are so many criticisms of this movie that I'm only going to mention the most obvious. The most glaring is the 'shaky camera syndrome' which will induce an epileptic reaction in the more sensitive viewers, but appears to be popular among the less gifted directors these days. Second on the list is the horrendous acting. Hard to take anything they say or do seriously. Next is the wardrobe. It appears they went to the local second hand bin to retrieve the costumes. Perhaps it was due to the budget; which apparently was bare minimal. Lastly; these type of films seem to be churned out ad nauseam these days, and frankly, are getting so predictable and tiresome.

Jett Klyne plays "Max" a 12 year old boy who manages to escape a Nazi loading operation that takes his mother (Katherine Fogler (Faigie) and little sister off to be executed and mass buried in their hometown in Poland. He doesn't realize that until much later. He manages to find his way to a farm for awhile then out to the forest where he manages to survive off mushrooms, fish, berries and the occasional rabbit all the while doing his best to avoid Nazi colluders who are all searching for hidden Jews to get the reward. (Goes to show the depravity of mankind during this historic period) Nothing questionable, no violence but it is implied, no nudity. Lots of murder and dead bodies lying about rotting. It amazes me that this kind of thing is still going on now. Hopefully soon this will all stop for good. A fine watch and historical as well, the last bit has a piece with Max today visiting those who survived with him. Enjoy!

The true story of a young boy named Max (Jett Klyne), this is a thrilling real-life survival film of a Polish Jewish boy who escaped the Nazis by hiding in the woods. The escaped boy arrives in despair at a small farm. The farm is run by a small family: husband (Richard Armitage of The Hobbit and The man from Rome), wife and baby, who hide Max in plain sight as if he were a visiting relative. But nosy neighbors and regular visits from the Gestapo (Christopher Heyerdahl of Sicario: Day of the Soldado and The Calling) become too risky, so after teaching the boy some basic skills, the farmer orders him to live in the adjacent forest. There, he finally finds another orphaned and lost boy, Yanek (David Kohlsmith), and they try to survive together, developing a beautiful friendship between them, and meanwhile avoiding the Jew hunters who compete for rewards. Max fights to survive in the hopes of seeing his family again when the Russians finally liberate his homeland. Finding Yanek gives Max a new purpose, guiding the boy's survival and entertaining him with stories of a Golem who could save them from this nightmare.

A story of survival and resilience that also spoke of friendship and how, despite the harshness and isolation of life in the forest, a child can remain one and give free rein to his imagination. The stories of surviving a war, particularly the Holocaust, are almost always heartbreaking and exciting, since they require a significant effort to faithfully convey the sufferings of the Jews who are continually harassed, either in the concentration camps or in the dangerous escapes that they used to execute. Those who managed to get ahead did not remain unscathed, suffering many psychological traumas because they often suffered many family losses or personal torture. However, some managed to live to tell their story, which they share with the world to recognize those who disappeared, as well as those who helped them stay alive. Allies and sympathizers also took a great risk, resulting in a variety of reasons why they might have refused to be willing to help a Jew hiding from the Nazis. Based on the memoirs of Maxwell Smart, the story begins in 1945 in the town of Buczacz, then part of Poland; convinced that there is no hope for her and her little daughter, a mother tells her other son to escape from her and take refuge in the forest. The forests are full of dangers, from poisonous food to armed men tracking down hidden Jews. Luckily for the two children who find themselves in the forest, it turns out to be an isolated setting, but also a place where they can play and let their imagination fly.

There's decent cinematography, and despite taking place in war-torn Eastern Europe, the film was filmed in North Bay, Ontario. Made in short budget, in fact there are no big special effects , battles or war scenes, as it is a story that takes place far from the front, although the boys eventually find themselves hunted by greedy Polish bounty hunters to whom the Nazis have promised lavish rewards. But ultimately this is still a survival story and it unfolds from the beginning of the film to the end. It's also an English-language film, of Canadian nationality, despite taking place in occupied Poland, which should make it more accessible to a wider audience.

The film was well directed by Rebecca Snow. This is her first feature film, she had previously made documentaries or television films, such as: Pandora's Box, Holocaust Survivors, Real Vikings, The Equalizer, among others. Rebecca took on the "Boy in the Woods" project inspired by the true survival story of Maxwell Smart who she met while making the documentary Cheating Hitler. Rating: 6.5/10. A decent film on the well-worn theme of Jewish persecution, being acceptable enough, although not extraordinary either, there is nothing here that we have not seen before, but it rises above average thanks to the affectionate friendship that develops between the very young boys.