The Boy in the Woods (Film)
UPCOMING SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS:
Toronto Jewish Film Festival - June 2, 2024
Cummings Centre Governor's Screening (Montréal, QC) - June 10, 2024
Grand River Film Festival (Waterloo, ON) - May 12, 2024
*Theatrical release is set for June 21, 2024
COUNTRY: Canada
LANGUAGE: English
RUNTIME: 99 minutes
CAST:
Jett Klyne (Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Supergirl, Phantom Pups)
Richard Armitage (Obsession, The Hobbit film trilogy, The Crucible)
David Kohlsmith (Chucky, Painkiller, Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go)
DIRECTOR: Canadian Screen Award winning Rebecca Snow (Cheating Hitler: Surviving the Holocaust, Pandora’s Box, Crossroads: Beyond Boom & Bust)
WRITERS:
Maxwell Smart (book - bestselling author - ‘The Boy in the Woods’)
Rebecca Snow (screenplay)
the Link to the trailer:
I got a screener around the time of Hot Docs but I didn't have time to watch it but I finally had the time this week and found out that The Boy in the Woods will be at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival (32nd Toronto Jewish Film Festival - Toronto Jewish Film Festival (tjff.com) on June 2nd, 2024. I hope you see this in time to get a chance to see the film because it's well worth seeing.
This film was based on a true story and was originally a documentary about Holocaust survivor and artist Maxwell Smart. I assume that's his real name.
The Documentary director saw it clearly as a feature film and Max agreed to do it.
I believe there comes a time in your life when you want to tell your story in the hopes of it making a difference to future generations and leaving a legacy in your life.
Although the story differs from my own mother's story about surviving the Holocaust they both come with the return to regular life after the war and are left with the traumatic scars of their experiences and have to pick up the pieces and move forward with their life.
This story seems unbelievable if it wasn't a true story. Max was separated from his sister and mother just as they were about to be taken away to most likely be killed by the Germans during the war. His mother had the presence of mind to tell him to run and to find an aunt who could help him. He ran and ran and found that aunt but things weren't going to go so easily for him from then on. The aunt arranged for him to stay with a family in the woods, but after the Germans arrived at the home and harassed the man, he was forced to send Max to the woods to keep his family and Max safe. He set him up in a little enclave and taught him some basics on how to survive. After a while another boy stumbled upon his little hideaway and the 2 became best friends in trying to survive the difficulties of starvation and the elements. One day they heard gunshots and found several people dead but Max thought he saw someone alive. It turned out to be a mother who was dead but she had covered up a baby and Max and Yanek worked together to cross a river to get the baby to safety. Max saved that baby's life but unfortunately, things got worse for Yanek. They brought the baby to the family who were able to take care of it.
Somehow Max managed to survive against all odds to make it out at the end of the war and was able to return to the family.
While he was hunkered down in the Woods, he dreamed about becoming an artist and buying nice clothes, and getting all the food he wanted.
He immigrated to Canada and was able to live his dream.
This is the power of keeping your faith and moving forward one step at a time and never giving up.
This is a Canadian film but it looks like a big-budget Hollywood film. It's shot beautifully. It's written with depth and heart. It tells a story that has historical references while still being entertaining.
The acting was fantastic by Jett Klyne who plays Max.
I really hope this film gets the recognition it deserves and I will be rooting for it to be included in the 2025 Academy Awards.
I have probably shared too much but you still need to see it to appreciate it.
It represents all the Holocaust survivors who lived to create generations of families and their legacy.
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