Jack (2014)

Jack is such a great kid, I feel bad about what’s happening to him and his brother Manuel. Feels almost too realistic at times. Keep going, good things will find you!

Great movie with impressive performances. Jack is the really big brother to Manuel, trying to shield him from what’s happening. Disturbing to see the indifference of the people they find to their fate, not deliberately but in a strange sense of abnormal normalcy. Anna von Hausswolff‘s "Funeral of my future children" is an unfortunately very fitting score during the end credits.

A hard to find but amazing movie. Yes, kids can be extremely resilient and are able to take a lot if they have to, but at a tremendous cost. Kudos to all the Jacks and Manuels out there!

Stunning German movie about two brothers sort-of neglected by their mother (not to mention their fathers whom they don’t even remember), navigating their way through the intimidating city of Berlin. It’s amazing to see how well Jack seems to be able to cope (has to, no other choice) with the situation until he hits a breaking point, and how he takes care of his little brother, forced to grow up way too quickly. Also sheds a bad light on the social system. Excellent performance of the hero Ivo Pietzker and his brother Georg Arms, very believable. Overall a quite disturbing but important film, well too realistic, while fiction happening to kids way too often.