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Nicky’s Family

Modest heroism

Just before the outbreak of WWII, Nicholas Winton, a young British stockbroker, arranged the transport and adoption of 669 Czech and Slovakian children. He then modestly clammed up for 50 years until a suitcase was found full of records of his heroism. Winton, who died last year at the age of 106, had been knighted and was dubbed “England’s Schindler.” His is an amazing story (and if you’re dry-eyed at the end, I never want to meet you). It’s also a story that could’ve told itself without all the hokey, unnecessary reenactments that make the film look like a classroom history lesson.

Japanese title: Nicholas Winton and the 669 Children (96 min)