Solidly made and well-observed Romanian film about a young boy caught up in the second world war, first as trumpeter in a marching band, then at the front. Excellent black and white photography, capturing nuance and realistic details, though there often feel like clumsy gaps in the narrative that may have been intentional but don't really come off.
The basic premise, of a child's-eye view of war, has been done too many times in other films like "The Tin Drum", "The Bridge" (1959), "Come and See" and even "Jojo Rabbit" to really feel fresh and insightful, or add up to anything original and memorable, but it's a well-made film in most departments all the same.
The basic premise, of a child's-eye view of war, has been done too many times in other films like "The Tin Drum", "The Bridge" (1959), "Come and See" and even "Jojo Rabbit" to really feel fresh and insightful, or add up to anything original and memorable, but it's a well-made film in most departments all the same.
