There’s something special about war films, despite the fact they often depict the worst and most cruel moments humanity has ever had to endure. The best ones can make you furious or sob uncontrollably by showing what so many innocent people, including children, were forced to live through. One of those films is now streaming on Netflix, and it’s been hailed as a “masterpiece” by viewers.
Set in the final months of the Second World War, The Bombardment is a Danish drama based on true events that took place in Copenhagen in 1945. It follows the build-up to a tragic RAF bombing mission which, due to a fatal error, accidentally struck a school full of children.
The film tells the story from several perspectives, including the pilots, the nuns, the students, and freedom fighters on the ground, to show how quickly a warzone can turn ordinary lives upside down.
What makes it stand out is how much of the action is seen through the eyes of children.
Director Ole Bornedal, who also wrote the film, said: “It’s the story of innocence versus machines, of the child who falls victim to the horrors of coincidence.”
The bombing, which was aimed at a Nazi target, ended up destroying a Catholic school and killing more than 120 people, 86 of them children.
While the event is one of Denmark’s worst wartime tragedies, it remains little known outside the country.
Now, more than 80 years later, the film has brought that history back into the spotlight, and it’s had a powerful effect on those who’ve watched it.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 100% score from critics and a 90% audience rating.
One viewer said: “This has to be one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. Not a dull moment and everything felt very real.”
Another called it “one of the best anti-war films I’ve ever seen”, adding: “There are good people doing terrible things and terrible people doing good.”
Several reviewers also praised the acting and direction, with one calling it “an incredibly gripping movie” and another saying it was a “heartbreaking depiction of the unspeakable tragedy of the collateral damage when children are involved”.
Another person wrote: “It’s one of the most amazing visual and narrative events I have seen on screen. It’s a heartbreaking masterpiece.”
The Bombardment is available to stream on Netflix.