If you need a film about little boys who don't want to grow up, this isn't the one you want to show to your kids.

A broad commentary on the rise and fall of Nazism and a lot more, set in Gdansk, or Danzig as it was known at the time. Dowsed in a heavy sauce of magical realism, Oskar watches the world go by as a not so innocent bystander. You can tell it is a adaptation of a literary work because you can tell not everything translates to the screen perfectly, even ignoring the minefield that is showing the budding sexuality of a teen trapped in a preteen boy visually. The symbolism ends up a bit hamfisted here and there, but still it is a ride that has you constantly guessing where they'll go next.

It is a wild swing, The Nazi rally scene is close to perfect cinema, the whole film looks great. It is a film that has been spooking around in my head for two days now. I can see this being divisive, but as far as I'm concerned you should at least watch it to see on which side of the fence you fall.