Schacko Klak

Plot Summary

The title of the film, set in Luxembourg in 1942, during the Nazi occupation, amalgamates the words Schacko (helmet) and chapeau claque (opera hat). The village, in which it is set, has not yet been feeling the effects of the war at this point. The protagonist Chrëscht Knapp is an 11 year old boy. Most of the people in the village are engaged in the Resistance, but some collaborate with the Nazis. Chrëscht is taking care of his grandfather’s cows with his friend Jhuliett and spends a lot of time in "his" tree in the middle of the forest. Everything suddenly changes when one of the villagers is shot dead for taking part in the general strike of Oktober 9th 1942. The young Luxembourgers are forced to enroll in the Wehrmacht. Some villagers are arrested and others deported to Silesia. The Gestapo searches several houses, hoping to find draft evaders. The Knapp family’s home is no exception. Chrëscht decides to take action and warns the neighbours’son, who is hiding in the attic, of the Germans’arrival. His family realises that Chrëscht is not a boy any longer and that he is ready to take on responsibilities. The last time he climbs into his tree, he watches the Allies planes heading towards Germany.