The script seemed to have been written by a young child, say twelve years old. None of it was believable. It was trying to be a David v Goliath story about a brave kid defying the power of his brutal headmaster and the conspiracy of lies of the school board, but succeeded only in lurching from one preposterous scene to another. SPOILERS! Let me give some examples of its nonsense. The Nazi-type headmaster beats the kid up , practically tearing his ear off. His so loving mother is afraid to complain for fear she may lose her job as school nurse. When she doesn't leave it alone she is sacked by the school doctor (see what I mean by conspiracy). The chairman of the governors tells the headmaster to lie and say he never touched the boy. The chairman's young daughter tells the true story to her parents but is ignored. The vicar is also against the family. The police say it is not their concern!!! even though Danish law at that time outlawed corporal punishment.The school secretary is made 'unavailable' on the day of the hearing (she could have given evidence for the boy). The hippy teacher, up till then a great supporter of the boy, lies because he is afraid of losing his job. The boy's father is left with no witnesses. Then -- believe it or not -- the head has the confidential medical records of the boy's father in his possession and reads them out to the tribunal -- which apparently destroys the father, and the next we know he is back in the mental institution. Having lied just to save his job, the hippy teacher immediately resigns (no, really).MORE SPOILERS The boy repeatedly tells the headmaster in class that he is a liar. With each accusation the head beats him up again in front of his classmates, thus giving himself a fatal heart attack. When the children hear that he is dead, they shout and jump about all over the place whooping with joy. In short, the actions of the characters are inconsistent and unbelievable. It is all very well to wear your heart on your sleeve, but that does not excuse this nonsense of a film!

I saw this movie today and I have to say, it was much much better than I expected it to be about couple of hours before going to see it. Personally I had some prejudice due to the language of it, but it did totally change my idea. The movie was in most cases surprisingly good with the great actor and actress performances. It was a story about a boy who had a dream and who did everything to reach it. This really touched me and as a film, which is based on a true story, it convinced me. A new school, psycho headmaster and a young boy who get known with a new teacher, a bit different one than the others and about fighting for the things even if they doesn't seem to work out. It showed how little things can make huge changes in many things, and how difference can sometimes cause difficult situations. Also I think the actor selections has succeeded perfectly. It really felt like you had been some person watching the episodes as an outsider when they happened. Before I spoil this movie with praises, I have to admit that there were some things and situations that didn't look and feel realistic..like the one where the headmaster of the school beat Frits aka. Martin in front of the class, at the end of the movie. He really got beaten badly, but the only thing that it caused to him, was some blood coming from the nose when comparing that to the first beating in the beginning, when Frits got some stitches..well I guess every movie has it own faults..have to say, that if I someday somewhere find this DVD from the store, it's sure thing, that I take it with me.

A sentimental school drama set in Denmark, 1969, "We Shall Overcome" offers a pathetic Danish take on US culture. Frits (Janus Dissing Rathke), a flower-power obsessed, naive 13-year-old, exits with half his ear hanging off from brutal master Lindum-Svendsen's (Bent Mejding) office. Lindum-Svendsen, a school director, portrayed as a fascistoid tyrant, has the local community in control. Lindum-Svendsen's gone too far this time, and with his father, recovering from a mental breakdown (sure, there wasn't enough drama already..), and overly stereotyped hippie music teacher Mr Svale ('Hi, call me Freddie'), Frits stands up for justice.Tell you what. It's so unconvincing, over-(method-)acted, and so full of misery, that as a 'family' picture this grotesque -filled with cliché's- excuse for a movie fails miserably to convince non-Scandinavian audiences. Sorry, kind danish readers, to crash like this into your sentimental journeys.. But it's definitely NOT a tale about a 'boy becoming a man by fighting the system'. The boy never becomes a man, but rather remains a naive, big eyed cry-face. If you call a church of small minded small town folk, led by a dictator like cartoonish character "the system", I'm sorry if I'm missing something.If you're into family pictures, go see Happy Feet instead..

A kid with ideals who tries to change things around him. A boy who is forced to become a man, because of the system. A system who hides the truth, and who is violating the rights of existence. A boy who, inspired by Martin Luther King, stands up, and tells the truth. A family who is falling apart, and fighting against it. A movie you can't hide from. You see things, and you hear things, and you feel things, that you till the day you die will hope have never happened for real. Violence, frustration, abuse of power, parents who can't do anything, and a boy with, I am sorry, balls, a boy who will not accept things, who will not let anything happen to him, a kid with power, and a kid who acts like a pro, like he has never done anything else, he caries this movie to the end, and anyone who wants to see how abuse found place back in the 60'ies.