BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Rob Broekhof This film gives form to destructive power and constructive temporary power in a penetrating way. Destructive in the form of the behavior of the head of the school (Forstander Frederik Heck played by Lars Mikkelsen). The constructive temporary power in the form of the behavior of one of the pupils (Elmer played by Harald Kaiser Hermann). Elmer looks for HELP at a crucial moment and gets that and that is the reason for that power. This power also leads to the fact that ultimately another student asks for HELP and therefore in principle also receives a form of temporary power. (Tøger played by Laurids Skovgaard Andersen).Statement: "A (powerful) leader does not need a massive amount of followers or supporters, but enough helpers!"

mg3331 I was watching through gritted teeth and such a feeling of revulsion. I would say that many of the worst types in prison would not treat kids in such a manner. The way that headmaster and his cronies try to justify their actions makes you want to throw up. Just shows you how badly society failed those children and to this day it still does. Top marks to those wonderful brothers for enduring for so long which is testimony to their character and their determination never to be broken. Grim viewing but at the same time a quite heartwarming experience.

miramania-65312 (This review may contain spoilers): this was an emotionally charged and intense movie about two brothers - Erik and Elmer - who are sent to an orphanage when their widowed mother falls sick and is rendered, by the state, incapable of caring for them. The cruelty of abandonment is heightened by the brutality of the merciless Headmaster and his assistants and attendants, who see the boys in their care as rabid, uncontrollable and in need of strict discipline and a professional craft. Creativity, ambition and dreams are not rewarded; rather, they are ridiculed. The brothers, along with other in-mates, form a bond of sympathetic but mute camaraderie that sets them apart from their abusers. They are able to retain a hint of sympathy for each other, despite being unable to stand up for each other out of fear of violent retribution. They maintain a code of conduct whereby they exist as "ghosts" in order to survive their ordeal. The viewer, however, is made aware of another group of boys, some older, who grew hostile and aggressive, and whose ability to sympathise dissolves in the anger and bitterness of being subjected to longer years of abuse. The development of the character and human relationships around it are likely the theme at the centre of the plot, with the two protagonists going through character changes that are weaved in subtly and craftily to suggest a maturity that is arrived at through selflessness and compassion.It is a beautiful movie that highlights the plight of regressing humanity, which is absolutely relevant in this day and age of forced migration.

mattrochman This is a sad film. The conclusion indicates that it was based on a number of orphanages in Denmark and you could sense that certain acts and situations arose from real life stories. The actor playing the headmaster gave a powerhouse performance that swells the viewer with hatred and disdain for him. The sympathetic female teacher was also played with stunning dramatic effect. The two boys seemed fairly young, but managed to carry the intensity and sorrow of the film with amazing maturity and brilliant execution.This is hardly a film for casual Friday night viewing. It is about two brothers who are sent to a home for boys because their very sick mother is unable to care for them. Within the home, they experience violent and cold abuse from both teachers and friends. It is so sad to think that such an era really existed (and probably still does in some parts of the world). It's the sort of film that deserves critical acclaim and awards. The sorrow arising from the film will stay with me for some time.