People are voting emotionally.

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

What is it about "The Island on Bird Street" that holds such magic? It's a precarious thing, this film. There are obvious faults, such as the jarring British accents and the (at times) cheap-looking cinematography. Then there's every single other thing. The acting is of an unbelievably high standard. Jordan Kiziuk (as Alex) is desperate, fascinating, comedic, frightened. He expresses emotions with such a purity. His face draws you in, wraps you up in his worries and curiosities. Against all odds, he carries an entire film. Also, I must mention the music of Zbigniew Preisner. I grew up listening to his music on my favorite childhood film, "The Secret Garden". His score creates a sense of pure wonder and fear.From a visual standpoint, I found this film off-putting at times. It looks too low-quality, too much like a television production. But in spite of this, it drew me in. By the end of the story, I found myself completely wrapped up inside it. Please see this.

Not least because it is apparently a true story. Alex is an 11 year old boy, stuck in an almost empty city awaiting his father's return. The plot, though slow is tense, holding an audience's attention throughout. What I most liked about this film was the sense of realness, as I watched it(though the language was English) I felt that somehow I was in fact watching an actually documentary as it unfolded. the clothes the sets the streets, everything was real. The acting is so well performed I could easily assume that these were real people, in particular Jordan Kiziuk's performance of Alex. The ending was tear-jerking, and I mean big blobby tears that swam in torrents. It was an all-round wonder to watch.

To see this movie gave me the feeling of what it was like during this time in our history that is sad at what the Jewish people went through. At the same time amazed at what a young boy of 11 could do to survive and live in this period.

Director Soren Kragh-Jacobsen sure picked his young protagonist well -- Jordan Kiziuk as Alex in the Danish film "The Island on Bird Street" practically carried the film by his undeniably superb performance. The film is about a Jewish young boy, bordering teens, his survival "adventure" in Poland during Nazi occupation.How heartwarming can an uneasy wartime premise be? It actually achieves beyond "Jakob the Liar" -- Alex's courage, his creative ways in taking care of himself when he's all alone, his tenacity and steadfast belief that his Dad would come back for him…hold its own. And there is suspense: we fear for him, we want him to succeed, we pain, and we felt angst and joy with him. The set of his hide-out is somehow graphically appealing: a solitary, broken brick wall arrangement, with atmospheric lighting, and momentary interludes: a solitary dog on a street, paper off the ground dancing in the wind… Music is by Zbigniew Preisner (Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Trois couleurs: Bleu" 1993, "Rouge" 1994, "The Double Life of Veronique" 1991, also "Fairy Tale: A True Story" 1997), hauntingly complements the plot. This may not be of Hollywood stature likened to "The Schindler's List", yet it's a small film with powerful impressions. It's a life-affirming story. Alex hanged on to hope -- we can, too.