Rebecca Snow has made an affecting film about survival during the Holocaust
In 1941, the Nazis rounded up Jews in the Ukranian town of Buczacz (then in occupied Poland). Maxwell Smart was 11 years old. “You’re strong, you will survive,” his mother told him, insisting that he flee. Her words encourage Max during the many difficult months that follow.
Hidden by Jasko, a poor Ukrainian farmer and his wife, Max poses as the couple’s nephew and sleeps in their shed. When it becomes too dangerous to keep him, Jasko teaches him how to snare a rabbit, make a fire and other survival skills, and then takes him deep into the forest, where Max has to fend for himself.
He puts his skills to good use, eventually managing to light a fire. He builds a shelter from fallen branches, forages for berries and traps and roasts a rabbit. With charcoal from charred twigs, he draws the faces of his family onto rocks. Placing them around him, he recites a Hebrew blessing. Despite railing against God, he clings to his Jewish identity and the drawings hint at his future career as an artist.
His clothes become ragged, and his shoes are in tatters. One day he finds Yanek, an abandoned child of a similar age, and takes him under his wing. Max tries to instil in his young companion the courage and skills passed on to him by his own mother and by Jasko. Together they discover a group of massacred Jews and rescue a living baby, still held by her murdered mother.
There are gripping, touching moments and tragedy; I’m sure I was not the only audience member in tears. Eventually, the Red Army liberates the area and Jasko can take Max back to his hometown.
Director and screenwriter Rebecca Snow was led to the story after she made a documentary about Maxwell’s life; a clip from this is included in The Boy in the Woods. She treats the Holocaust with respect and her characters with kindness. There is attention to detail, in particular with the Ukrainian accent.
Filmed in Canada, the forests remarkably resemble those in Eastern Europe. The acting of the main protagonists is superb. Richard Armitage invests Jasko with a steadfast dignity and Jett Klyne, himself only 12, shines as the young Max. Secondary characters, including Jasko’s wife, local villagers and partisans, are less convincing. There is minimal dialogue and the story is a little simplistic. It is not a plot spoiler to state that Max survives, the film is based on his autobiography after all. It is a moral, affecting movie and Max is an inspiring role model for young boys, but informed adults will know that real endings are complicated, especially for survivors. Those who returned to their homes rarely found them intact or saw their loved ones again.
By Irene Wise
The Boy in the Woods is available to stream now on Apple TV, YouTube and more.