The best war movies are the ones that put a human face on the carnage and destruction of international conflict. My Friend does just that. It's a powerful World War II story.
The movie is about two brothers, Karl (Daniel Soderlind) and Hugo (Andre Pacheco), who are hiding out in the Belgium city of Antwerp after the country has fallen to the Nazis. The boys (Hugo is about 12, while Karl is several years older) are Jewish, and are waiting for their parents to arrive so they can all leave together. Their situation becomes even more complicated when a wounded German soldier, Jorn (Hakan Bengtsson), arrives at their doorstep seeking refuge.
The story has been ravishingly brought to life by writer/director Gustav Gribel and his two cinematographers, Marten Berg and Hampus Schildfat. The attic where the boys are staying has been filmed in warm colors, making it seem even more like a sanctuary from the outside world. The movie is neatly bookended by two shots showing each brother crouched on a rocky beach.
All three performers deliver theirs lines expertly in tense, hushed tones. Pacheco especially makes a memorable impression as young Hugo. The story is given special resonance and poignancy by a drawing of bears that Hugo gives to Jorn, and by a postscript that suggests the movie is based on true events.
