Wow! Such a good movie.

Undescribable Perfection

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

"Edges of the Lord" is a mixed bag for a movie with pluses and minuses. The reviews I've read on it so far comment on just one aspect of the film. And, I can't tell if many of them got a very subtle point of the plot. Because of some of the film's weaknesses, I couldn't get as absorbed in it as I would normally for a story of this type. Three aspects of the film stand out most to me. I'll comment on each one after a thumbnail overview of the story line. Haley Joel Osment plays Romek, a Jewish boy of 11 in 1939 when the Germans invade Poland at the start of WW II. His parents quickly try to train him in some prayers of the Catholic faith. They have found a peasant Catholic family living in the country who will take him in to save him from the Nazis. His parents were going to try to escape on their own. Romek's new family has two boys. One is about a year older than him – Vladek, played by Richard Banel. The other is younger, about seven – Tolo, played by Liam Hess. Their small hamlet has a priest, played by Willem Dafoe. These are the main characters. There are other characters of course, and as the story moves along, we see everyone and the various incidents as through the eyes of Romek. And, that is key, because it's a story about a boy who was raised Jewish and in a city now being thrust into and experiencing a very different culture. I don't want to give away the ending, but it's the crux of the film, along with Romek's survival. Romek expresses his thanks for these people who didn't try to make him something he wasn't. Now, that's the story and the message.This type of thing was repeated many times and in many places in Europe, so that Jewish people could be hidden and spared from the Nazi pogrom. One of the best movies that shows this on a broad scale is "The Assisi Underground." That was a true story, based on a book and produced by the author, a Jewish journalist who arrived at Assisi with the Allies during the war. There are other very good movies like this as well. On the message level, this film is very good. And, the acting is very good by the entire cast – the Polish extras and bit players included. The problems with the film are mostly with the screenplay, the directing and editing. Some specific strong points are scenes of the boys watching the trains at night that are transporting Jews to death camps. Some of the people escape from the trains, and the Nazis hunt them down. We hear shouts in the distance and gunshots. One of the older boys preys on fleeing people for any valuables or good clothing they may still have. Other scenes add to the main plot. The boys see the priest try to catch pigs in order to save the lives of an elderly farm couple who had been hiding pigs. Of course he can't catch the pigs, and the Nazi officers get a good laugh at his futile attempts and rolling on the ground. They then shoot the woman and then the man in the head. The scenes of the priest instructing the children are part of the main plot, as are those with Romek and the priest as he explains Holy Communion to Romek. So far, so good. But, then there are several other scenes that are extraneous to the story. These unnecessary sub-plots distract one from the main story. Several of these are about extreme behaviors on the part of the young Tolo, having to do with religion. He wears a cap under which he has made a type of crown of thorns. He asks his brother and Romek to tie him to a tree as if to be crucified. Toward the end, Tolo identifies himself with the Jews on the train. He denies being the brother of Vladek, and the Nazis put him on the death train. What that has to do with the story, I don't know. Was it an effort to mock religion?The editing of the movie with these and other unrelated scenes woven in is not very fluid. So, the film is hackneyed and confusing. It distracts from the main focus. The playing and pranks of the children go on too long. A drunken neighbor peasant who later kills the father of the boys is a distraction. And, toward the end, we see nothing of reaction by the mother or village over Tolo's leaving on the train. This film is hardly in the tradition of "Life is Beautiful." It has a good premise – to show that there were good people in Poland, including Catholic clergy, who risked their lives to help save Jews. And, as in this case, without requiring or forcing cultural or religious changes on the Jews. If this movie had stuck to that without the several mini-plots that it veers off into at times, it could have been much better– perhaps even a great film. But, as it is, the diversions, distractions, choppy script, weak direction and poor editing take too much away from the impact this film might otherwise have had.

I found Edges Of The Lord to be a very touching and moving film! This film really unsettled me but that's what I loved about the film it really keeps you hooked and wondering what happens next. Haley Joel Osment really proves he has a lot of acting talent! His acting performance was absolutely outstanding. All the way through the film his acting performance just kept showing how talented he really is. His performance in Edges Of The Lord was really touching and I found myself in tears over how realistic he was in this role! His accent was also perfect in this film. Willem Dafoe also gave a great performance he brought his character to life just like Haley Joel Osment did.I overall am going to give this film a 10/10 it's unmissable it's one of the best, moving, touching on the edge of your seat war films I have ever seen! Everything about this film was just so realistic from the acting to the setting and the costumes. I totally recommend this film to anyone who loves a war film. Please be aware this is definitely not a children's film! This film even had me in tears by the end.

I rented this film because I am a fan of Osmet. I was surprised by the performances of almost all the child actors in this film. Liam Hess stole the show. I would have rated this film higher, but the story seemed to meander with no real point at times. The film is very dark and somber throughout but what would you expect from a "holocost" film. The central story is about two boys (one jew and one catholic) who end up living together and experiencing some of the atrocities perpetrated on the jews during WWII by the Germans. The Catholic boy (Liam Hess), who is receiving teachings from the local priest before his first communion decides to mimic the life of Jesus (for what reason I'm not sure) and draws all the other local children into his game. As the film progresses, the story becomes more serious and the Tolo's "games" become more realistic.

An absolutely fabulous film.I have just finished watching this film on DVD and I would like to say that it is one of the very best films I have seen for some time. The film, I think, is based from an almost total child's eye view and is pulled of to great effect. The performances from all of them main characters were truly remarkable, and all with very convincing accents, not easy I would imagine for such young actors. However, the entire film is stolen by the performance of one actor, Liam Hess. His performance made the film for me. His acting was superb and believable (as was his accent) and indeed with such a difficult subject that the film was addressing; it makes the film all the more brilliant.I am surprised that this film is almost three years old, and I have not heard of it before this? Was this an oversight on my part or was the film just not `pushed' at the box office? (Spoilers?) The subject contained within the film is a very difficult one to handle and it takes a very skilled team of actors and directors etc. to make sure that the films works, here they do it very well. There are some harrowing scenes, such as the shooting of the peasants and the killing of the boy, which turned the film from a simple yarn into something much more complex. Indeed, it is quite ironic that the killing of the Polish boy, near to the end, caused the life of the Jewish boy to be saved, perhaps some poetic justice? The holocaust is such a terrible thing in the history of the world, and is a very difficult subject to discuss today, however with films like this is makes the subject just that little bit easier to tackle.I give this film 9/10 and would say that this is certainly one for the collection.