dannydenshaw

The premise of this kids' film is promising, if not particularly original. Meester Kees, a young student supply (US: substitute) teacher is assigned to a strict middle school whose principal believes that all work and no play makes Jack a wise boy. Kees has other ideas; he thinks that learning should be fun. His unconventional methods inevitably lead him into conflict and ultimately trouble with his boss.

The story is told from the perspective of the students and ably highlights the incomprehensibility of adults in a way that younger viewers are bound to love.

The problem with the film is that Mees Kees himself is not an inspired teacher. He is socially and professionally inept to the point of incompetence. He bumbles his way through class, teaching them nothing. In reality, his spirited pupils would have eaten him alive, rather than falling for him.

This is a charming film with great performances from the young cast, including Kees himself, but the fundamental flaw in the plot spoiled it for me. No doubt that's just because I'm getting on a bit...

Times are hard in the German-occupied Netherlands, not least for young Tuur. He's worried that his parents seem to be working for the resistance movement and he can't get his head around the ambivalence of his peers to the occupying force. At the same time, he has to stick up for his best friend Lambert, whose family are Nazi sympathisers.

To crown it all, when he falls in love with the new girl in town, Maartje, she reveals a dangerous secret to him...

This isn't the most sophisticated of World War II movies, though it has an entertaining and engaging plot. What makes the film notable is the portrayal of the two principal boys by Maas Bronkhuyzen and Joes Brauers. The interplay between the cheeky and wonderfully expressive Tuur and the stoical but tender-hearted Lambert creates magic that saves this film from mediocrity.

The central themes of loyalty and courage will appeal particularly to younger viewers making this a good bet for family viewing.

Nimmermeer (AKA Nevermore) tells the story of Jonas, a young boy who lives a happy, albeit impoverished life with his fisherman father until one day his dad fails to return from the sea. He is adopted by a well-intentioned but heartless clergyman and loses all sense of joy in his life. Can he learn to smile again? Only a carny freak holds the key...

Beautifully filmed with a fairytale aura, this is German cinema at its best. Aimed at older children (it's too psychologically scary for younger ones) this movie will touch the hearts of all ages.

The German dialogue is straightforward for anyone with a working knowledge of the language, otherwise English subtitles are available from opensubtitles.org