In the current moment, it may seem exceedingly controversial for a movie to be shown from the full perspective of a Hitler Youth member, but Fatih Akin’s Amrum is one of the most surprising and compassionate films of the year. The film is based on the life of writer Erik Bohm’s childhood time spent on the island of Amrum off the coast of Germany in the last years of World War II as the Nazi regime fell. The island serves as essentially a microcosm of the social and political climate of Europe, and represents all the various strata of society who inform the dynamics of of the war among the greater populace. There are German nationalists, war refugees, those against the war, locals of Amrum, and those looking to escape to America. This concoction could easily turned into a tawdry treatise on how “complex” the war is and how there are “no right or wrong sides” but instead Fatih Akin makes abundantly clear how nationality is a spectrum of those who know right from wrong.
The first thing the film’s main character Naning Bohm (Jasper Billerbeck) sees is a line of refugees, disheveled, sad faces, looking like they escaped by the skin of their teeth. He is a boy who Akin sees as both a victim and perpetrator – young enough to be caught by the wrong tides but old enough to make cogent decisions that can cause harm. He immediately decides to join in with his fellow Hitler Youth in antagonizing the refugees but the Hitler Youth turn on him just as easy. You see, Naning is a mainlander German, not an Amrum local. His confusion at the sudden rejection becomes a continuing motif in the film of how nationalism and its claws begin to hurt Naning more than help him. His mother Halle (Laura Tonke), a steadfast Nazi supporter and a true believer in the Übermensch propaganda is in categorical denial of Nazi Germany’s slow demise to the Allied forces. She stops eating, believing that without the Nazi race, the world is doomed and not worth living in.
There is No Escaping the Horrible Truth
Akin captures the island of Amrum in stunning vistas with luscious blue skies, golden fields, and quaint abodes that spark both feelings of warmth and tranquility. It makes the sudden appearances of Nazi flags, which cut into the frame like jump scares – or punchlines as the film goes on – that much more startling. The situation on the island, the rapidly decreasing food supply and the unease of the impending end to the war, create noticeable cracks in the island’s ethereal bubble. For every beautiful shot Akin gives us, he also gives us a plea for butter, bread, and bare faced prejudice. It’s not quite The Zone of Interest because it’s many miles away, but there is no mistake that Akin forces us to see Amrum’s sanctity coming apart at the seams as chickens coming home to roost.
Conclusion:
Our main character, Naning, is never reduced to a tragic figure or a redemptive one. As his family is slowly ostracized from society through acts like a butcher refusing to sell his mother sausages he has to reckon with the punishment and shame of being on the wrong side of history. But as a child, he has more than enough time to correct what he once knew. Amrum is an effective from taken from the German point of view in World War II that deals effectively with the removal of the veil of its propaganda and lies.
Amrum was released in North American cinemas of April 17th, 2026.
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema – get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.
Join now!
