Review: ‘Wunderkinder’

I wanted to like this WWII period drama, but ultimately I don’t think it has anything to offer that hasn’t already been covered by any number of films before it.

Set in Poltava in the Ukraine in 1941, Wunderkinder begins before the German invasion. Young Hanna is spellbound when she hears Abrascha and Larissa playing together onstage. She immediately starts practicing her violin, determined to be as good as her two new idols.

When her parents arrange for the two prodigies to come and play with her, Hanna thinks they will be her best friends. To begin with they are stand-offish, as Hanna’s privileged lifestyle contrasts sharply with their own working class existence. But soon the trio have become inseparable – and even make a blood pact to strengthen their bond.

But staying close proves harder than they expected when the Nazis invade. Larissa and Abrascha are Jewish, while Hanna and her family are Germans running a brewery in Ukraine. By turns each family is hunted or hidden from enemies, often suffering terrible indignities.

When the war descends in earnest, these talented Wunderkinder find themselves playing not for the love of music, but for their lives.

This is not a new story and has been done far better in other films, such as The Pianist. It’s a good looking movie and great care has been taken with the period detail, but this only underlines the storyline’s contrivances and the dramatic weaknesses in the script. The young actors are all accomplished musicians and their best scenes are the ones in which they play their instruments. It’s when they have to act that things unravel.

Epic in scale but focusing on the intimacy of children’s friendship, this is a child’s eye view of war. The themes and content may be too much for younger viewers, but for older children, this could be an adequate introduction to the horrors of WWII.

5/10