I remember that it had a huge impact on a small 12-year-old kid (me). Can't really say much else, but being a movie about war seen from the point-of-view of a young boy, kids like myself at that point somehow strike me as a primary audience. Hence, it's worthy of a good grade in spite of my vague memory. It is a hard film; tough and of course saddening, though probably not as tough as the life in the jewish ghetto during WW2.