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I don't think I need to explain why this movie is good. It has a fantastic script on occasion, and the film as a whole is very emotionally appealing and it makes the viewer feel most of the things the characters in the film are feeling. At moments like that, it is filmmaking at it's finest. However when it starts rubbing those moments into your face it really starts to loose it's steam. There are really only two issues I have with the entire film; first of all, the destruction of the nazi-iconography is a scene where we are obviously supposed to feel ashamed alongside the main characters. This feeling though... it simply does not transmit to my side of the screen. To me the entire scene is just an overblown punch to the face of every neo-nazi on earth. I don't think that's a bad thing overall, because they tend to be complete twats, but this is contextually in conflict with the message given in the end of the film of being everyone's friend. Why do the main characters just want to ignore and separate themselves from these people, and still make a great big point of being in good relation with everyone? It makes no sense. The other problem I have is the fact that everything is explained. At first I hoped they wouldn't explain why on earth Derek became anti-nazi in the jail, but I understand that some people wouldn't like that to be unexplained. But then there's the father-scene, that literally destroys any amount of speculation this film could've lead to. Kids, if you see a neo-nazi, he's not a bad guy, but his dad is. I mean that's a pretty fucked up message all around for a film supposed to be about their entire culture. I wished this movie would've had the balls to be more ambiguous, but no. It wasn't.
8/10
