Content Warnings: References to War, Nazism.

Layered between breathtaking scenery, heart-wrenching characterisation and a fond lens of childhood innocence, Amrum (2026) chronicles the adventures of twelve-year-old Nanning as he experiences the final weeks of WWII on the titular German island.

Amrum was not a place I had heard of before. Upon discussion with my German father, I came to learn that the small island is situated in the North Sea, not far from the coast of Denmark. In all honesty and embarrassment, I had assumed Germany was landlocked, and because of this geographical ineptitude, I had not considered the repercussions of WWII for Germans living outside of the mainland. The island is one with its own rules and rhythm: unpredictable tides, vast stretches of tidal flats and a unique dialect, "Öömrang", spoken by a community far from the war's epicentre but acutely affected by it. In revealing this lesser-known detail of history, the film offers an untold narrative and a unique reframing of historical events which are so often depicted through a familiar lens.

The film follows twelve-year-old Nanning (Jasper Billerbeck), a Hitler Youth member and son of devoted Nazi parents, during the final collapse of the Third Reich. Nanning, his mother Hille (Laura Tonke), his Aunt Ena (Lisa Hagmeister) and his younger siblings have made their home in Amrum after fleeing the bombed ruins of Hamburg. Nanning's father is an imprisoned SS soldier, and Nanning, being the eldest son, becomes the man of the house, not through force, but through a childlike and sincere desire to be needed. In an atmosphere of rationing and scarcity, the film's emotional core chronicles Nanning’s search for the ingredients to make his mother a piece of white bread with butter and honey. What begins as an act of devotion to his parent becomes a journey through which he encounters hidden truths, not just regarding the ideology pressed into his existence, but also his family and the people around him. 

Screenwriter Hark Bohm based the screenplay off his own childhood on Amrum, and the portrayal aches of tender retrospection, of an old man looking back at a boy who loved fiercely and understood little. Bohm's characterisation of Nanning is exquisite, and his gentleness and fond nostalgia towards his younger self is palpable throughout. Jasper Billerbeck captures the audience's heart with his yearning gaze and deep sincerity. Despite his devoted wearing of the Hitler Youth uniform, you cannot help but adore his trust and openness towards those around him. He is not depicted as a symbol of complicity or denial, nor is he absolved in anything. Nanning simply exists as a child with an uncomplicated love and trustingly naive view of the world. His adoration for his mother, framed through his quest to give her the one thing she desires most, is heart-wrenchingly earnest and deeply relatable. Billerbeck's performance is the highlight of the film.

This moral complexity extends to the film's broader atmosphere and undeniably beautiful setting. Director Fatih Akin uses the island's landscape not merely as a backdrop but as an emotional register. The flat horizon and mud flats surrounding Amrum are home to some of Nanning’s biggest joys and challenges, communicating both freedom and exposure, both the beauty of Nanning's world and the expansiveness of a horizon yet to be experienced. There is a tranquillity to the film's cinematography that reflects the island's distance from the front lines, yet the war's presence is never far. It seeps in through rationing, through a father’s absence and through Nazi flags casually displayed.

The film, while masterfully directed by Fatih Akin, was originally written by the late Hark Bohm. Bohm, who also intended to direct, passed the project to Akin when he felt he would not be able to endure a long and demanding shoot. Hence, the film is lovingly and posthumously credited as "a Hark Bohm film by Fatih Akin". The passing on of directorial duties is itself reminiscent of the generosity and tenderness at the film's heart. Akin and Bohm were creatively intertwined, long-term friends bound by mutual mentorship, and that closeness is felt in every frame. Akin has shared that he made the film "with a lot of love, out of a deep sense of friendship for Hark." It shows.

Amrum is a film of childhood innocence within a period of violence. It does not ask you to forgive, condemn, nor take opinion. It asks you to see a child, to remember what it is to trust completely, and to sit with the discomfort of innocence that cannot last.

Amrum screens as a part of the HSBC German Film Festival from May 8-27.