Iron Hands

This unforgettable Oscar-nominated film tells the story of nine-year-old Icare, better known as “Zucchini,” who spends his life striving to maintain happiness in the face of deplorable circumstances. He decorates his attic bedroom with his alcoholic mother’s empty beer cans and imagines his absent father as a superhero. Then an accident lands him in a group foster home, and he’s lonelier than ever until he discovers the resiliency he shares with his fellow orphans. Magical stop motion animation creates a wondrous tone that perfectly balances painful subject matter about life’s harsh realities with an ultimate optimism. It will floor you. Occasional mature subject matter, including death and references to sex, abuse, violence, suicide, and deportation, makes the movie most appropriate for older tweens.