To our great benefit, filmmakers from around the world are still telling inspiring and sobering real-life stories from World War II. The latest is “Truth & Treason” from director Matt Whitaker which tells the touching yet horrifying true story of Helmuth Hübener. At age 17, Hübener was found guilty of high treason by the Nazi courts and sentenced to death. On October 27, 1942, Helmuth Hübener was beheaded by guillotine. His crime – he simply spoke the truth about Hitler’s Nazi regime.

This isn’t the first time Whitaker has shared Hübener’s story. In 2002 he directed a documentary entitled “Truth & Conviction”. Now, with the help of his co-writer Ethan Vincent, Whitaker has turned this moving true story into a narrative feature that takes place roughly over the course of one year. It features a collection of stellar performances and a firm dedication to telling a powerful story with a timeless relevance.

The story is set in 1941 and mostly takes place in Hamburg, Germany. That’s where we meet 16-year-old Helmuth (Ewan Horrocks), a bright and whip-smart young man with a gift for writing. When not hanging out with his three close friends, Karl (Ferdinand McKay), Rudi (Daf Thomas), and Salomon (Nye Occomore), Helmuth is serving in the Hitler Youth as required by Nazi law. He also continues to write which earns him a job as the youngest intern ever hired at Hamburg city hall.

As the world is plunging into war and Germany itself is undergoing radical changes under Adolf Hitler, Helmuth remains oblivious, swallowing the Nazi propaganda as truth and naively going about his life. That is until a series of events unfold that are impossible for the boy to ignore. Soon Helmuth is questioning everything he believed to be true about his country, his church, even his family.

Helmuth’s transformation begins when his big brother Gerhard (Maxim Ays) returns home from the French front having smuggled back a shortwave radio. Despite them being banned by the German authorities, Helmuth listened to the radio faithfully, hearing news broadcasts from the BBC that offered a much different view of Hitler’s aggression.

But Helmuth’s eyes are fully opened when his Jewish friend Salomon is beaten by German soldiers and later taken away in a neighborhood roundup. Being a young man of faith, a troubled Helmuth looks to his church for guidance. But his Bishop (Daniel Betts), who Helmuth has always held in high regard, chooses to stay loyal to the Führer, embracing blind allegiance to an oppressive dictator over the teachings of the One he claims to serve.

Angry and inspired, Helmuth forms his own resistance, wielding truth as his weapon and using his writing skills to spread it across the city. His secret campaign consists of typing out anti-Nazi leaflets on bright red parchment and planting them around the city under the cover of night. He even recruits Rudi and Karl who join his righteous cause despite the heavy consequences if they’re ever caught.

Helmuth remains the centerpiece of this compelling drama, but Whitaker makes time to view the darkening times through several other characters. We see the corruption of a church through Bishop Zander’s willful ignorance. We see different German perspectives through the conflicted eyes of a Gestapo officer (Rupert Evans). We see the impact on families through Helmuth’s own quiet and unassertive mother (Joanna Christie) and his stern Nazi sympathizing step-father (Sean Mahon). Each add layers to Helmuth’s story while also casting a revealing light on the Nazi rule.

Whitaker uses several visual details and historical references to help paint a clearer picture of Germany under the Führer’s iron fist. Consider the door to Bishop Zander’s church officer with a picture of Jesus Christ on one side and a portrait of Adolph Hitler on the other. Or the locked door protecting an archive of banned literature in the basement of city hall. Touches like these leave quite an impression and help define the times. They’re just some of the many pieces that bring this powerfully urgent and profoundly inspiring drama to life. “Truth & Treason” is a movie not be missed.

VERDICT – 4 STARS