Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog

Younger viewers will receive a worthy, accessible lesson in the era's dreadful legacy, though older audiences may sometimes find its approach - and a few of the performances - a tad on-the-nose.

This tear-jerker finds a fresh angle on familiar tragedy and turbulence, following a German Shepherd through World War 2.

The stale form isn't the most disappointing variable of this barely competent work, but the performances that border on cartoonish.

Roth navigates this emotional (and inevitably literal) minefield with blunt skill.