“LOOK TO THE SKY”–an amazing performance

“Look to the Sky”

An Amazing Performance

Amos Lassen

War II drama “Look to the Sky” is now available in a newly remastered and restored format. It was originally made in 1993 and will now be available for the first time on DVD in the United State.

“Look to the Sky” is loosely based on the book “Childhood” by Jona Oberski and is the story dealing with the Holocaust from an extremely hopeful perspective. A young Dutch boy, Jonah, is forced to spend most of his childhood behind the walls of a Nazi concentration camp where he struggles daily to remember his parents and their love. He also attempts to get along with others in the camp. Jonah’s own strength allows him to grow up and survive the ordeal.

This is simply a beautiful movie dealing with a horrible subject and it is a tribute to those that perished at the hands of the Nazis.

Jonah is taken away by Nazi soldiers when he was four years old. He and his parents were moved from their home in Amsterdam to a small Dutch countryside village and ultimately to a camp. Jonah, unaware of what is going on around him holds on tightly to his parents and depends upon the memories of his past to get hen through the horror.  This way he is able to face the terrible things that are soon to happen and he can observe life with a different outlook. He does sense that his life will never be the same.

Jonah’s memory is incredible. He sees and remembers everything very clearly. He faces hardships and unbelievable horrors but there are also beautiful acts of kindness. What he sees most of all is his own struggle to survive. He is determined to leave this all behind him and he does survive, badly bruised but alive.

I must make mention of the actor who plays young Jonah—Luke Patterson. There is not a word to describe the depth and breadth of his performance. Without actually speaking a great deal (he has few lines), he grunts and moans are gives us an actor that we should feel that we are honored to watch him. His timing and facial expressions are absolutely amazing. He manages to capture the mood and emotion of a young person who is faced with racial discrimination without knowing why and he delivers the entire gamut of human life which appears to be written across his face.

Like other movies dealing with this dark era of human history this movie is depressing. But it is also uplifting to see the triumph of the human spirit and the feeling that I had when the movie was over is impossible to describe.