Summer of '44

The touching story of five boys being teenagers in the last months of World War II.

It's seemingly business as usual for five 16-year-olds at the public pool. The sun burns from the sky, the boys show off and stare longingly at the pretty girls. But as all of them are looking too cool off in the water, the Wehrmacht is still fighting. In the summer of 1944 the tide has turned for Nazi Germany: their army is retreating, squeezing every last drop of blood even from teenage boys. Ignoring the brutal regime as best as they can, the five lads try to bring some normalcy to their lives before it's off to the battle fields. The group is led by the cocky, self-assured Knuffke; his friend Onkel, the sensitive introvert, longs for true love. For now, they are nothing but cannon fodder, two of them being forced into the SS, the others fighting alongside 60-year-olds. Soon enough, two of the boys are dead. Understanding the futility of their efforts, Onkel deserts the army. He manages to survive and returns to his parents' house when the war is over. Knuffke is also back, but are they still best friends? As spring turns into summer again, peace has come. But their innocence is gone, and the public pool has fallen dry.