Ward Radio Hosts Screening of Angel Studio’s Upcoming Film, Truth and Treason

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By: Ella Katzenbach

Last week I was invited by Cardon Ellis, owner of Ward Radio, to attend an influencer screening event for the upcoming release of Angel Studio's film, Truth and Treason.

Once the audience got settled into their seats at the theater, the director, Matt Whitaker, came out and gave the audience a brief monologue about the steps they took in making the film and how it came to be. I could tell that he was excited to show off his artwork to the audience. I could feel how proud he was of his project. 

The film was produced in a way that many history-buffs would enjoy. Being one who also loves to learn about history, I would definitely recommend this film. There were many heroic moments in the movie where the protagonist stuck to his integrity of spreading the truth about Hitler’s evil intentions.

(Spoilers Ahead!)

The film covered a true story about a boy and his friends in Hitler Germany during World War II. The protagonist in the story, Helmuth Hübener, felt inspired to deliver a wakeup-call message of leaflets to people’s mailboxes after hearing about the death of his close jewish friend, Salomon Schwarz. These leaflets that Helmuth wrote entailed messages about Hitler’s propaganda and tyrannical government. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Helmuth felt that he should act in integrity and do the right thing, even if it cost his life. He was successful in delivering approximately thirty-nine leaflets throughout the city of Hamburg. However, he was caught by the Gestapo when a coworker turned him in. Helmuth was tortured, questioned, and mocked by the opposition for months about his actions. He eventually was held at Germany’s highest court and sentenced to death by beheading, while his two other friends were sentenced with five to ten years in prison.

When Helmuth was asked to give a testimony, he stood up and said proudly that he would die doing nothing wrong but rather only had delivered the truth about Hitler’s tyranny. He told the judges that because of Hitler’s actions of genocide, they will loose the war. This powerful confrontation of a brave young boy at the age of sixteen was proving to the highest authority that what Hitler’s government was doing was wrong. 

In the face of death, Helmuth was content with his fate. He never showed any signs of regret because he knew that the Lord would be proud of him standing up against the adversary. This tragic resolution of the film reminded me of the parallels between Helmuth and Joseph Smith. Even though Joseph was doing the Lord’s work of translating the Book of Mormon and restoring his church, Smith was still mocked, harmed, and imprisoned against those who opposed him. Through struggle and pain, Joseph still remained resilient in doing the Lord’s work even though it cost his life. This was extremely similar to Helmuth’s case. He felt prompted to act in delivering leaflets to thousands of people despite knowing about the potential consequences he’d face once he was caught. 

I loved the film and I would recommend it to anyone who loves history and has a need to feel inspired to stand up for what is right. We are living in a world that is swarmed with contradiction, judgement, and opinion. Through the loudness; however, we can always choose to do what’s right. I believe that is the main message of the film, to do what’s right even when the opposition seems too daunting or intimidating. Your actions will always make an impact on someone.

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The views expressed by contributors do not necessarily represent the position of Ward Radio News. Ward Radio News is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Church) and does not officially represent the Church.

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