I watched this as part of the anthology "Boys on Film 21: Beautiful Secret" which I have reviewed but was so pleased to see that this short has an entry on IMDB so it can get its own review. It's certainly the best film of the collection.
The film provoked real emotion. I had an inkling of the selfless act that would happen before it was made clear. I was born after the war but it was a presence in my life through my parents. The sorts of choices that had to be made in Nazi Germany would have tested anyone anywhere. Some failed their exam, some passed. I hope the guys saved by Hansi Sturm, who was a real person, emulated his bravery. As his true ending is not known to history, this was necessarily an imagining of his final days.
Hansi Sturm is not forgotten, even though we do not know his ultimate fate. There are a couple of projects in Berlin remembering him and a recreation of an old 20s-era nightclub regularly shows performances by drag queens of his persona. This film is yet another tribute to him and his bravery in the face of evil and Nazism.
I am so grateful that this film was made.
