In a world full of violence, to go back to a period of legitimate violence and introduce some of the elements that makes the type of modern warfare that freely uses children as protagonists, so horrific, is a very clever comment. This is probably the best film I have seen for some time, another well scripted, well acted world war two movie that was clearly made to a budget, and worth every penny. Using the notion that ones life is constantly replaying itself as a method of anchoring the personality of one character elucidates the sympathy that the character deserves and gives a meaning to his existence. It is very easy to see violence set in the past as acceptable while the same type of violence now is unacceptable and to have warm lovable characters performing excusable yet still unacceptable actions. I was left with a sense of moral confusion, feeling that the action was right, yet knowing that it was wrong. If for no other reason, the need to deal with my confusion, makes this a movie I shall watch again.

Into the Darkness is about two deserters during world war two who escape their MPs and stumble upon a group of French resistance fighters consisting of two teachers and a hand full of special children. The kids all live in an old defunct factory with a hidden treasure. At first the GIs are not welcome, for reasons that are obvious if you see the film. They fight off a common enemy, some Nazis that come to the factory to get the treasure at the end of the war. The children and the GIs have no idea that the war is actually over. Lots of fighting and some flashbacks help explain some of the characters past. The story is entertaining and tragic all at the same time. Not as graphic as it could have been, the characters were all believable through strong acting and good direction. Not for the squeamish.

Don't waste your time on this one. It starts off well and ends up in a mess. One of the most irritating features is that it is riddled with what may be flashbacks (or flash forwards)for the main character.But you never have enough context to put them all together or make sense of them. They appear like mosquitoes and are just as useful. It picked WWII as the backdrop to show the misery and futility of war.Perhaps it never occurred to the creative minds behind it that we might be speaking German today if the allies had decided not to fight. A poor choice of wars. One of the two soldiers undergoes a sudden transformation that is neither believable nor understandable. The ending appears to have been cut off before it led to anything satisfactory. I wanted a refund of my time after I realized it was over.

Thoughtfully composed and disarming cinematography. I liked the minimalist approach to dialogue while letting the images speak for themselves. The use of real people, fantastic people, especially the child actors, was critical to the message and I was reminded greatly of Brecht's poem "Children's Crusade". The pace of the film slowly but steadily reaching a crescendo towards the end, with it's final flourish and eloquent testimony to the futility of war. I would recommend this film to any Humanities teacher wanting to broaden their students experience and understanding of the real world by looking through a different telescope.This is a film that lingers on in your memory for days and weeks afterwards. Jeff Burr deserves a bigger audience.