rural01-915-842423 "Little Boy" is by far the best movie I have seen in a very long time. There were so many positives in this film, that it is almost difficult to identify them individually. The story was excellent with a perfect plot, holding just the right amount of surprises. It held an air of realism, including fair treatment of faith, racism, and bigotry, resulting in a realistic characterization of love and hate. All was treated honestly and reflectively. The film was an honest characterization of a family during World War II, named for a little boy who worshiped his dad. His innocence, coupled with determination stole your heart. In fact, all of the characters were excellently portrayed. They were not only believable but completely likable.The film took place during the second World War, using flashbacks between the family home and the battlefield. It was easy to follow the progression, which often times is a problem for some films. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who has a heart.

Dan Mealey I can't say I've ever 'reviewed' anything before, but felt the need to express my thoughts on this one. "Little Boy" managed to engage me on a deep level, and to challenge my own anger / sorrow having lost my Dad ultimately to the effects of a long campaign in Vietnam, combined with my own experiences in a war-zone in Afghanistan. There are very few books/ movies in which you find yourself identifying with a more sinister character in the plot (in my case, London - the angry and vexed teenager, struggling to choose a battleground to express or extinguish his bitterness). I had not expected to mirror myself on such a character, testament to the solid acting of each performer. Contrasting with viewing a war through the eyes of an innocent and hopeful child made for a very pleasant and moving experience. Very well made movie, with a stellar casting. Many thanks to those involved in its production.

Christy Leskovar What a great movie! It will make you laugh and cry and think. It takes place during World War II. Pepper/Little Boy is sad that his father has gone off to war, and he resents the only Japanese person in town, an older man named Hashimoto. Little Boy and his much older brother, London, try to vandalize Hashimoto's house. London is arrested. Little Boy's mother, played by Emily Watson, marches him to church to go to confession. Little Boy wants faith great enough to move mountains and bring his dad back from war. Father Oliver, played by Tom Wilkinson, gives him an ancient list and tells him, if he does all the things on the list, it will help grow his faith bigger. The list is the corporal works of mercy. Father Oliver adds one more: Little Boy must befriend Hashimoto. It is a heart warming and poignant story with many layers of meaning, beautifully filmed. It does look like Norman Rockwell on film. An amazing performance by Jakob Salvati, who plays Little Boy. How the director, Alejandro Monteverde, pulled such a performance out of a young child is truly remarkable. It is a movie for the entire family. Art illustrates beauty, truth, and goodness. "Little Boy" is art. I watched it on Netflix. It was filmed in Mexico.

bdeanrob-1 I have a bachelor's degree in filmmaking, and I'm a published film critic (mainly in my college years but have since gotten a real job). Little Boy is one of the most well-crafted films I have seen this year. The cinematography is outstanding. The acting is top notch -- and the young boy in particular is very talented, a natural. The cast is full of some of the best character actors in Hollywood. The narrative is well-written -- it is multi-layered with complex, dynamic characters. The narrative pulls at the heart strings in ways that are not felt to be manipulative and inauthentic; rather, the powerful emotional pay-off of the film's narrative arc is hard won through good storytelling. The narrative also works very well, at a different level of analysis, as an allegory where the young boy is seen to represent the United States itself. The editing is also impressive. Parallel editing between scenes, while not exactly a novel device since at least The Godfather, the device is very effectively utilized in ways that convey much more meaning that if the scenes had not been inter-spliced together. This is almost perfect gem of a film. There is only one reason why critics have been hard on this film, and that is due to the explicitly Christian, and especially Catholic, themes of the film. There is an obvious prejudice against the film merely due to the fact that it has religious themes. Film critics have been long known to bash films that don't fit their politics or anti-theist agendas. They can stuff it. So, ignore the critics, and see this film today.