‘Hitler’ misses a few details

Fred Curtis has lived several lives, all of them eventful. As a boy in 1930s Germany, he was a member of the Hitler Youth, enduring beatings and humiliation. After immigrating to California, he became a rebellious teenager who wound up in the Army, fighting for the Allies in World War II. Later, as a computer engineer, he developed one of the precursors of the modern hard drive.

Along with the emotional scars inflicted by his dysfunctional family, that’s plenty to relate in a 39-minute documentary. Unfortunately, “My Favorite Hitler Youth: Just Like You and Me” isn’t quite up to the task. Written and directed by Mo Abersheid, the film fumbles with the enormity of the events of Curtis’ lives and fails to place them in an illuminating historical context.

Long, rambling answers might benefit from editing, and some information could be more efficiently conveyed by voice-overs. Abersheid is obviously enamored of his genial subject but may be too close to the story to realize what he hasn’t told us. We need more help from the filmmaker in shaping the story. For instance, how did Curtis end up staying in the United States? What did he know about Nazism? How did he feel about fighting against the side his family was on?

Hopefully, this is a work in progress. Abersheid gets Curtis to reveal some disturbing memories, which could pack an emotional wallop with some craft from the filmmaker. With such an interesting life to explore, more judicious editing and structuring could allow “Hitler Youth” to do its subject justice.

*

‘My Favorite Hitler Youth: Just Like You and Me’

MPAA rating: Unrated

Director Mo Abersheid. Running time: 39 minutes.

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