At the age of three, Oskar (David Bennent) has already grown tired of the hypocrisy of the adult world, tosses himself down a flight of stairs to stunt his growth, remain a child forever.
For the next twenty or so years, we follow him as he observes and reacts to a variety of situations, including family life and the uprising of the Nazi movement; romance is also an important issue for Oskar once he reaches sixteen.
Throughout, those more physically mature never see our hero as anything but a little boy, which allows him to manipulate the grownups around him as well as avoid grownup responsibility..., or is it stupidity? Full of sorrow, tragedy, some awfully funny scenes and much dark humor, this Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival winner is nothing but brilliant.