MASCOT

Part thriller, part psychological drama, part puzzle with a strange twist,"The Mascot" is one of the most astonishing stories to emerge from theSecond World War. It tells the remarkable true story of how Alex Kurzemunravelled the shocking secrets of his wartime past. With the support ofMark, his son, Alex began to recall how he evaded the German-led executionsquad that decimated his village, but witnessed the murder of his Jewishmother and siblings. He scavenged amongst the trees and protected himselffrom wolves, before falling into the hands of a Latvian police battalion.The soldiers adopted him as their mascot and Alex accompanied the uniteverywhere as it changed its identity and duties to those of an SS unit onthe rampage. He even appeared in propaganda films and newspaper articles,riding into Riga in a military parade...yet he was Jewish. At the age offive, was Alex Kurzem a collaborator or just a lost little boy? Caught upin a world of war-crime hunters, former war criminals and security agentswith unclear agendas, he has since been threatened by many who believe hehas betrayed them.