First off, I have never read the book. I had no idea the book nor this movie even existed until today.
I just saw the 2nd half of this movie today, and to me it appears somewhat to be a propaganda item. Before I go on, though, other posters have mentioned that it takes place in Germany. That could very well be, I did miss the first half after all, but the tailor shop window sign appears to be Czech or Polish, or something similar, but it's not German. Perhaps the main characters are immigrants??? Well, moving on...
It is odd that the parents of all the children involved actually support the gang setup and the violence that goes along with that. WTF??? WTF is that all about? One parent goes so far as to remark that he will punish his own son because the son got kicked out of the gang. Is there perhaps a scene in the 1st half that indicates that the parents all consider this harmless play?
The kids appear to have sharp spears as weapons, but I didn't see any kids getting shish-kabobed on those spears. BTW, did anybody stop to think about why and how a bunch of middle-school kids acquired all those spears?
Moving on once more....
The main themes of the the movie: standing up for your rights, battling bravely against all odds, taking on a bigger opponent, refusing any favors or gestures of pity, David against Goliath.... all this to me suggested that the movie was trying to inspire the audience to be ready to defend their homelands.
The last few minutes of the movie, though, have me thinking hard. There was the long, slow procession, bringing the body back. The mother staggers for a moment, and the boys beside her quickly step in and assist her in holding up the body. At this point, it's still a "whip up their spirits"-type movie. Inspirational moment.
Or that could have been an acknowledgement of the futility of war. A better point could have been made if all the kids had just snapped to reality and walked away. The propaganda-ish scene of the somber procession accompanying the fallen warrior belies that. In my opinion.
But at the very end, the cranes and bulldozers are digging up the disputed area to turn it into townhomes, or apartments, or something. That does lead into a "wtf was this all about?" moment. For all their efforts to keep the "land", stronger forces came in and took it over anyway.
I just saw the 2nd half of this movie today, and to me it appears somewhat to be a propaganda item. Before I go on, though, other posters have mentioned that it takes place in Germany. That could very well be, I did miss the first half after all, but the tailor shop window sign appears to be Czech or Polish, or something similar, but it's not German. Perhaps the main characters are immigrants??? Well, moving on...
It is odd that the parents of all the children involved actually support the gang setup and the violence that goes along with that. WTF??? WTF is that all about? One parent goes so far as to remark that he will punish his own son because the son got kicked out of the gang. Is there perhaps a scene in the 1st half that indicates that the parents all consider this harmless play?
The kids appear to have sharp spears as weapons, but I didn't see any kids getting shish-kabobed on those spears. BTW, did anybody stop to think about why and how a bunch of middle-school kids acquired all those spears?
Moving on once more....
The main themes of the the movie: standing up for your rights, battling bravely against all odds, taking on a bigger opponent, refusing any favors or gestures of pity, David against Goliath.... all this to me suggested that the movie was trying to inspire the audience to be ready to defend their homelands.
The last few minutes of the movie, though, have me thinking hard. There was the long, slow procession, bringing the body back. The mother staggers for a moment, and the boys beside her quickly step in and assist her in holding up the body. At this point, it's still a "whip up their spirits"-type movie. Inspirational moment.
Or that could have been an acknowledgement of the futility of war. A better point could have been made if all the kids had just snapped to reality and walked away. The propaganda-ish scene of the somber procession accompanying the fallen warrior belies that. In my opinion.
But at the very end, the cranes and bulldozers are digging up the disputed area to turn it into townhomes, or apartments, or something. That does lead into a "wtf was this all about?" moment. For all their efforts to keep the "land", stronger forces came in and took it over anyway.