A JFeed EXCLUSIVE
Loyalty to a Lie: Why This German Teenager's Dangerous Choice is a Must Watch
Angel Studios releases powerful film about a German teenager who risks everything to resist Nazi propaganda through peaceful resistance. Based on true events.
In an EXCLUSIVE interview with JFeed, Truth & Treason actors Ewan Horrocks, Joanna Christie, Ferdinand McKay and Daf Thomas shared their experiences.
Angel Studios has just released its powerful new film, Truth & Treason, on October 17th, bringing a gripping true story of a German teenager's resistance to the Nazi regime during World War II to the screen. Drawing on a narrative that has been in development and refinement for 25 years, the movie compels its cast and audiences to examine how the battle against propaganda and oppression remains acutely vital today.
Directed by Matthew Whitaker, written by Whitaker and Ethan Vincent, and produced by John Foss, Russ Kendall, and Whitaker, the film stars Ewan Horrocks, Rupert Evans, Ferdinand McKay, Daf Thomas, and Nye Occomore. The synopsis reveals the central conflict: a teenage boy in Germany is forced to confront the terrible truth that "loyalty to his country now means loyalty to a lie", a concept defended by Helmuth Hübener (Ewan Horrocks). After his Jewish friend is taken away and a trusted bishop urges obedience to the Nazi regime, he secretly launches a resistance, risking everything to stand for truth.
The True Story That Demanded Attention
For the British and Welsh actors involved, including one who is half German, the gravity of the script was immediate.The actor Ewan Horrocks described for JFeed that reading the script for the first time as "incredibly moving" and immediately knowing it was "something I wanted to be attached to". Another recalled reading all four initial episodes (as the project began as a miniseries) and instantly becoming "desperate for the role".
Being part of the production was described by Horrocks as an "absolute privilege to be involved in this story" and an "honor to kind of be a vessel for this important story". The fact that it is a true story "makes it just that bit more deeper and real".
Horrocks explains that the central character arc focuses on a dramatic shift in consciousness. The protagonist, Helmuth Hübener, was originally
"a kid who was part of the Hitler youth who was... brainwashing to believe" in Adolf Hitler. However, upon discovering the truth, he decides "to try and stand up and do the right thing," standing up not just for himself but for "other people who can’t voice themselves, which is a really powerful thing", according to Horrocks.
The Power of Peaceful Resistance
A key lesson drawn by the cast is the film’s demonstration that peaceful, nonviolent action can be profoundly effective against tyranny. The story highlights the protagonist's bravery in fighting with words rather than violence.
Joanna Christie (who plays Emma Hübener), noted the power of seeing "someone so young realize that the peaceful nonviolent approach is more powerful, which it was back then". The metaphor of resistance is clear: being "armed with a typewriter was more powerful than being armed with a pistol", the actress shared with JFeed.
The film also serves as a sharp historical reminder of state-controlled narratives. Christie reflected on learning what it was like for
"ordinary Germans who there was a very different time they only had propaganda," meaning they were simply "just living their life". This historical perspective leads directly to a powerful modern takeaway: the necessity "to constantly seek the truth that is a universal that still rings true today".
Horrocks and Christie stressed the public’s enduring responsibility
"to be very very careful about the information that we are being told today 80 years later" because "we are all subject to different voices, misinformation, disinformation". Therefore, the central lesson is "to seek the truth and to really think about what the information that you are being told by governments [and] by media".
History’s Echoes and Universal Injustice
In exclusive interview to JFeed, the actors Ferdinand McKay (who plays Karl-Heinz Schnibbe) and Daf Thomas (who plays Rudi Wobbe) discussed how being part of a Holocaust film has influenced their views on current global conflicts, emphasizing the timeless nature of oppression.
"History repeats itself. It’s terrible," lamented McKay, noting that there are always people who "will take advantage and try to control others". This sentiment was illustrated by the mention of a recent incident in Germany where a sign stating "Jews are not welcome" was reportedly displayed in a store, eighty years after the war.
The movie's true story has been written for the last 25 years, as the directors did a very deep research project that is now out to the world as Truth & Treason movie.
The interviewees stressed that the film's ultimate message relates to universal injustices. McKay highlighted a similarity between "anti-semitism and anti-anything else," defining it as being "against any people for their religious belief, for their ethnicity, for... being against anyone who is different to you". Thomas affirmed that "We are all human beings and it is unacceptable in any form".
Ultimately, the film inspired the cast "to relate the oppression of anybody in any context and that’s going on all around the world," affirming why the story is "still so relevant" and "universal", as explained Thomas. The purpose of remembering the Holocaust is "to learn from it and to make sure that never happens again for anybody".
A Call for Humanity and Youth Voices
The cast members concluded that the film’s central message is the enduring need for unity, respect, and recognizing the power of younger generations.
The film highlights that life and relationships are "incredibly complex" and not simply "black and white", as stated Thomas. Even a character such as a Nazi officer who "tortures kids" is portrayed as a "complex character who has a wife and children" and is "torn between right and wrong".
In addressing today's youth, Thomas advised that younger voices "should be valued and that it’s okay to speak up and... to use your voice". Together with McKay, Thomas emphasized to JFeed that the path forward must focus on finding common ground:
"You have to... support one another and and and love each other". The goal must be to "find humanity" and avoid "demonizing certain groups or demonizing people," because "violence should never be the answer".