Toyland (2007)

A German mother lies to her son about where the Nazis are sending their Jewish neighbors.

Director:

Jochen Alexander Freydank

Writers:

Johann A. Bunners, Jochen Alexander Freydank

Stars:

Julia Jäger, Cedric Eich, Tamay Bulut Özvatan

Won 1 Oscar. Another 22 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Julia Jäger	...	Marianne Meißner
Cedric Eich	...	Heinrich Meißner
Tamay Bulut Özvatan	...	David Silberstein
Torsten Michaelis	...	Herr Silbertein
Claudia Hübschmann	...	Frau Silberstein
David Bunners	...	SS-Obersturmführer Falke (as David C. Bunners)
Gregor Weber	...	SS-Mann Werner
Jürgen Trott	...	Schutzpolizist
Klaus-Jürgen Steinmann	...	Blockwart
Heike Reichenwallner	...	Nachbarin
Matthias Paul	...	Gestapo Mann

Storyline

On a winter morning, a mother goes to waken her son Heinrich; his bed is empty. She leaves her flat to find him. The neighbors' door, with a Star of David painted on it, is ajar, the furnishings in disarray, the family gone. She asks passersby, runs to the police then on to the rail yard. Flashbacks show that Heinrich and the neighbors' son Paul are six years old and best friends. Paul's family's deportation is expected soon; Heinrich's mother tells her son that they're going to Toyland. Heinrich wants to go with them, has a bag packed, and listens for their departure. His mother realizes he's joined them, and her resolve becomes more urgent. Will she arrive in time to save Heinrich?

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Plot Keywords:

neighbor | jewish | german | flashback | winter | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | War

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Toyland

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mephisto Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

14 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This short film is available as a bonus on the Film Movement DVD of Storm (2009).

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

User Reviews

A sensitive portrait of the WW2

Toyland discusses a theme that has been discussed several times on different films: the Second World War. However, what makes this short film special is the sensibility of this portrait. Instead of showing the explicit violence of the war, it touches the audience by showing two kids - a German and a Jewish, who are best friends and are going to be separated because the Jewish boy's family is going to be sent to a concentration camp. In order to avoid shocking the young German boy, her mother says that his friend is going with his family to Toyland. The depiction of the effect of war through the eyes of kids is not something new: in a completely different tone, Janos Szasz has done the same in his adaptation of The Notebook, a novel written by Ágota Kristof; and The boy in the Striped Pyjamas has a similar story. However, even if the theme is not new, Toyland is still a surprisingly intense short film. It mixes scenes of the mother looking for her son after the Germans had taken the Jewish to the concentration camps and flashbacks of what happened before this - how close the two kids were and how the German boy decided to follow his friend to Toyland. And the plot twist at the end makes the story even more dramatic. Second World War is a sensitive topic, and it is amazing when we find a director that was able to portray it in such a touching way.