A French child-loving man named Abel is falsely accused of raping a girl (Sasha Hanau) nine or so years old and is sent to fight the Germans at the front as a form of punishment. Quickly captured, he is befriended by a Nazi officer who helps him get a job at a boarding school training boys roughly eight to sixteen in the art of combat. When our hero's talents with children are there recognized, he is given the task of roaming the countryside and enlisting the sons of peasants into the Hitler Youth. Abel is quite content with the position, simply finds pleasure in being around the kids, but how is he to react when the Russian army draws near and threatens the school and when he stumbles across a Jewish boy in the woods? A unique, interesting character study brought to us by renowned director Volker Schl?ndorff; Caspar Salmon stars as the young Abel.

Warning (rated NR): violence (mostly of a warring nature); sexual themes; adult themes.

1996; aka Der Unhold, Le roi des aulnes; in English, French and German (Note: most of the dialogue is in English); 114 minutes; Black & White and Color (Note: most of the film is in color); Caspar Salmon, Daniel Smith, Sasha Hanau, Maximilian Haas, Robert Beyer, Norman Daugs, Ryan O'Leary, Lars Albiez, Lyece Boukhitine, Erick Deshors, John Malkovich, Gottfried John, Marianne S?gebrecht, Volker Spengler, Heino Ferch, Dieter Laser, Agn?s Soral, Vernon Dobtcheff, Simon McBurney, Ilja Smoljanski.