Amrum: Fatih Akin, taking over Hark Bohm to tell his story, makes a quiet, ponderous little film. The film follows a 12-year-old boy on a quiet little island in the final days of World War II; his absent father is a German officer, and his mother, a bit of a fanatic. As the locals aren’t, for the most part, as enthusiastic as she is about the Nazi regime, the boy finds himself in a difficult situation. The protagonist is played by Jasper Billerbeck in an expressive (perhaps a touch too much) and charming performance. Laura Tonke, as his cold and disgruntled mother, is effective. Director of photography Karl Walter Lindenlaub elegantly and quietly captures the action on the idyllic island, without calling attention to itself. Costume and production design are likewise simple, elegant, and effective.