Alright, so this movie takes us back to 1942. We’ve got Sara, a fifteen-year-old girl living in Alsace, which is in the part of France that’s not occupied yet. But things get hairy as the German presence starts tightening its grip. Fortunately for Sara, Julien and his family step up to help her out when she needs it most. Julien’s got polio and Sara didn’t really hang out with him before, but that changes pretty quickly. They end up forming a strong friendship while she’s hiding out.

The movie sticks super close to the book it’s based on, but maybe a bit too much? It kind of loses some of its important messages along the way.

Marc Forster might’ve gotten inspired by how well Stephen Chbosky’s “Wonder” did in theaters. Looks like Forster thought he could ride that wave with his own project here. But tying into “Wonder,” which you might remember for Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson popping up onscreen together—it feels like a stretch.

There’s this connection at the beginning where they show the bully from “Wonder” getting kicked out of school, but that’s hardly enough to smoothly weave Helen Mirren’s grandma character talking about her past experiences as a Jewish girl facing persecution into the story. The weak link here is just because “Wonder” author R.J. Palacio also wrote the graphic novel this film comes from.

And that’s where things get tricky—sometimes what works well in a book doesn’t translate too hot on screen. Marc Forster has done some cool stuff before with films like “Christopher Robin” and even better, “The Kite Runner,” so you’d think he might know better by now! His view from across the pond could’ve added something neat if it all came together right.
This movie dives into a tough part of history, where some French folks sided with the Nazis during the occupation. Even young people aren’t spared here—one turns out to be even more ruthless than the Nazis themselves.

But here’s the thing: it throws in some odd elements that feel kind of out of place. Like, there’s a scene where Julien, who’s supposed to help with film projectors, sees imaginary stuff on walls about Sara hiding. That’s kinda okay. But then there’s this wild bit with wolves that just doesn’t fit at all and makes you go, “Huh?”

The story attempts to show how someone who discriminates might end up understanding what it’s like to be on the receiving end. Julien has polio and is picked on by Sara, but then she faces her own challenges and starts getting him. It’s got potential to give younger audiences something valuable.

Sadly, it doesn’t quite reach its full potential—it could’ve been so much more impactful but kind of missed the mark in places.