Kay Shackleton
A Son's War is a short film by filmmaker Steven Edell. It tells the true story of a teenager living in Prague during the first few days of the Nazi occupation. Jan, the teenage boy, like many teenage boys is embarrassed to be around his mother. It is a common passage boys go through to become a man. As it becomes clear that their lives are in danger, Jan's mother makes the ultimate sacrifice. She alters her pass to leave the country in order to save her son, and when Jan left Prague, it was the last time he saw his mother. She was sent to a concentration camp and died four years later.This honestly told story of Jan's immature behavior towards his mother during such a critical moment in his life and the world personalizes the sacrifices made by millions of Jewish mothers during World War II.Steven Edell wrote and directed this heartbreaking story of loss and a boy's longing to repeat the past. The film is well told with an even script and expertly directed. The film was shot in Prague as a co-production between The University of Southern California and FAMU, the Czech Republic national film school and features an all Czech cast. This is the second film from Steven Edell, his first short film entitled Bracia was a national finalist for the Student Academy Award.Keep a look out for Steven Edell, with this short film he is a filmmaker to watch. I am very interested to see his path as a director as I predict he has good future in film.A Son's War was shown at The International Temecula Film and Music Festival held in Temecula, California this past September.For more reviews from Kay Shackleton, see here: http://www.examiner.com/movie-awards-in-national/kay-shackleton
