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KONRAD & PAUL

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This is a quietly provocative short film that sort of creeps up on you as it unfolds. In the beginning, we watch a young boy cutting his own hair and we're not sure what his situation is. Then, he runs away and the demeaning worlds of his peers echo in his head. He settles on a park bench where tears fill his eyes. A homeless man appears, sits next to him and shares pages of his notebook with the boy. It holds mementos from all around the world. The boy is intrigued and sees this way of life as appealing. He asks to go with him but the tramp tells him it's not all roses and sunshine; it's hard. He asks the boy to cut his hair like the boy's. The resulting hair cut is wild. Now, they both have wild haircuts as they go their separate ways. I like that the films has these layers of mystique. We don't know what the background if of either the boy or the old man. We do see that neither of them fit in exactly, and yet, they are finding their own happiness. The location in the woods seems suiting to their encounter. It's a random, out of the way place, removed from the rest of the world. The camera work is well executed with interesting angles. The costumes are suited to the storyline, nothing too outrageous. Both the boy and the tramp are quite ordinarily dressed. The audio is well done. I especially enjoyed the music at the end. You should know that the dialogue is in German with English Sub-titles. I recommend this to the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival because it's thought provocative and perhaps gives insight into another culture. I give it 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 10 to 16. Reviewed by Julie S, KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror.

Paul, an outsider in his class, meets Konrad, a tramp who shows him, that true freedom means being able to choose who you want to be. Even if that means to give a bold guy a decent haircut. From Germany, in German with sub-titles