A Kitten for Hitler 2007

Comedy

Runtime

8 mins

Language

English

Made by

ComedyBox

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A Kitten for Hitler Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for A Kitten for Hitler (2007). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

In the winter of 1941, a Jewish woman and her young son Lenny sit in a dim Brooklyn movie theater, watching a newsreel that shows Hitler in full glare, prompting loud disapproval from the crowd. The mother explains Hitler’s atrocities, trying to shield her child, while Lenny wonders what Santa Claus will bring for Christmas, and she bluntly tells him Hitler won’t get anything that year.

This moment plants a bold, desperate idea: a solo journey to Germany to gift a kitten to Hitler in the hope that the gesture might soften the dictator’s heart. Upon arrival, Lenny presents the boxed kitten to Hitler, who fears it’s a bomb and passes it to his mistress, Eva Braun. She opens it to discover a kitten, and she hands it to Hitler, who is moved to tears. As Hitler embraces the gift, the mood shifts when Lenny reveals a swastika-shaped birthmark on his stomach, and Hitler notices his Star of David necklace.

Horrified and furious, Hitler has Eva slaughter Lenny, and they skin the boy to fashion a lampshade from his hide, the gruesome relic displayed on their bedside lamp, with Lenny’s necklace used as a switch. The war ends, and the lamp is later returned to Rachel, Lenny’s mother, who keeps it as a shrine to her son. When her hand touches the shade, the lamp lights up, and, seemingly by divine intervention, the swastika transforms into a Star of David. This moment is proclaimed a miracle, and [Rachel] stands before President Truman, with the President awarding the Purple Heart to the lampshade itself, turning Lenny’s memory into a controversial symbol of faith and memory.

Across its stark, surreal arc, the story centers on a mother’s grief, a boy’s impossible courage, and a nation’s reckoning with the horrors of war, memory, and the strange, unsettling ways in which faith and history collide.

A Kitten for Hitler Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of A Kitten for Hitler (2007) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Brooklyn newsreel sparks questions about Hitler

In winter 1941, a Jewish woman and her young son Lenny watch a newsreel featuring Adolf Hitler in a Brooklyn movie theater. The audience loudly disapproves as Hitler's image dominates the screen. Lenny asks why people hate Hitler, and his mother explains his atrocities, while he wonders what Santa will bring for Christmas.

Winter 1941 Brooklyn, New York

Lenny plans to gift a kitten to Hitler

Motivated by a wish to soften Hitler's heart, Lenny resolves to deliver a kitten for Christmas, traveling alone to Germany with the unlikely gift. He believes a small act of kindness could soften the dictator's heart and maybe make him reconsider his actions. The plan marks a dangerous but hopeful turn in his mission.

Christmas 1941 Brooklyn, New York

Lenny arrives in Germany and presents the gift

Upon arrival, Lenny presents a boxed kitten to Hitler, who fears it's a bomb and tosses the box to Eva Braun. The encounter sets a tense, surreal tone for the Christmas gift. The gift exchange signals the beginning of an improbable confrontation.

Christmas 1941 Berlin, Germany

Kitten revealed; Hitler moved to tears

Eva opens the box and discovers the kitten, which she gives to Hitler, who is momentarily moved to tears. The moment hints at a fragile mercy behind the dictator's facade. It also foreshadows the dangerous turn the encounter will take.

December 1941 Berlin, Germany

Birthmark and necklace ignite Hitler's rage

Hitler's mood shifts when Lenny reveals his swastika birthmark and his Star of David necklace. The revelation shatters any pretence of goodwill and triggers a fierce, personal fury. The dynamic of mercy collapses into horror.

December 1941 Berlin, Germany

Slaughter and the lampshade are born

Horrified and infuriated, Hitler orders Eva to slaughter Lenny. Eva skins the boy's corpse to fashion a lampshade from his hide, which is displayed on their bedside lamp, using Lenny's necklace as a switch. The act transforms a Christmas gift into a macabre trophy of crime.

December 1941 Berlin, Germany

Lamp becomes a post-war shrine

After the war, the lampshade is returned to Lenny's mother, who keeps it as part of a shrine honoring her son. The fixture stands as a chilling memorial within the family, a reminder of the atrocity and its consequence. The artifact becomes a focal point of memory and mourning.

Post-war period Brooklyn, United States

Lamp lights and the symbol transforms

When her hand touches the shade, the lamp lights up and the swastika transforms into a Star of David, an apparent miracle. The moment is framed as a divine intervention that redeems a symbol of hatred. It reframes the lamp as a beacon of remembrance.

Post-war period Brooklyn, United States

Miracle proclaimed

The transformation is proclaimed a miracle, elevating the lampshade to a legendary symbol. The mother embraces the lamp as a testament to her son's memory and to an improbable mercy arising from tragedy. Public awe surrounds the miraculous change.

Post-war period Brooklyn, United States

Public moment with Truman

Holding the lamp, the mother stands before President Harry S. Truman, who acknowledges the miraculous symbol. The moment places the artifact within national memory and frames it as a symbol of resilience. The encounter elevates personal loss to a national narrative.

Post-war period White House, United States

Purple Heart awarded to the lampshade

Truman awards the Purple Heart to the lampshade, an improbable honor that reframes tragedy as a symbol of resilience and memory. The award cements the lamp's status as a relic of horror transformed into a tribute to perseverance. It solidifies the lampshade's place in history as a contested, eerie icon.

Post-war period White House, United States

Legacy of memory

The shrine around Lenny's lamp endures as a powerful reminder of loss, sacrifice, and the possibility of mercy transforming even the darkest moments. The mother's vigil preserves a narrative where tragedy and miracle coexist. The lamp remains a potent symbol within the memory of those touched by the tale.

Post-war period Brooklyn, United States

A Kitten for Hitler Characters

Explore all characters from A Kitten for Hitler (2007). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Lenny (Rusty Goffe)

A brave, impulsive Jewish boy who travels from Brooklyn to Germany to gift Hitler a kitten. He embodies childlike faith and a hope that mercy can reach even the most cruel ruler. He bears a swastika birthmark on his stomach and wears a star of David necklace, details that intensify the moment Hitler reacts.

🧒 Child Protagonist

Lenny's Mom (Lisi Tribble)

Lenny's mother who explains Hitler's atrocities and later preserves Lenny's memory through the lamp shrine. She embodies protective love and stoic memory in the face of horror. Her role ties the domestic world to the war's monstrous history.

👩 Mother

Adolf Hitler (Philip Pritchard)

The dictator whose reaction to the kitten is unleashed by fear and rage when he notices the boy's birthmark and necklace. He orders Lenny's slaughter, embodying the regime's brutality central to the narrative.

🔥 Tyrant

Eva Braun (Rosie Thewlis)

Hitler's mistress who opens the kitten's box and hands it to Hitler, playing a role in the fateful moment. She is a witness to the horror and part of the chain of events that follows.

🎀 Companion

Santa (Ken Russell)

A surreal, symbolic Santa figure appearing in the film's framing, contributing to the story's odd, magical tone rather than a literal plot point.

🎅 Symbol

President Truman (Rufus Graham)

The U.S. president who, in the film's aftermath, awards the Purple Heart to the lampshade, turning Lenny's memory into a national symbol of sacrifice and mercy.

🏛️ Leader

Storm Trooper 1 (Steve Mullins)

One of Hitler's guards who embodies the militarized environment of the regime and participates in the events surrounding Lenny's journey and demise.

🪖 Soldier

Storm Trooper 2 (Paul O'Shea)

Another guard in Hitler's security detail who helps situate the story within the Nazi war machine's everyday operations.

🪖 Soldier

A Kitten for Hitler Settings

Learn where and when A Kitten for Hitler (2007) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

Winter 1941 – postwar era

The film is anchored in the World War II era, beginning in the winter of 1941. It traces a journey from prewar Brooklyn to wartime Germany and culminates in the postwar United States. The time period highlights the brutality of the regime, the war’s reach, and the memory that lingers after victory.

Location

Brooklyn, New York, Germany, United States

The story opens in a Brooklyn movie theater during the winter of 1941, before the action shifts to wartime Germany. It then follows Lenny's journey to Germany and, after the war, returns to the United States as the lamp is preserved in a shrine. The settings contrast ordinary city life with the broader theatre of World War II and its aftermath.

🏙️ Urban Brooklyn 🇩🇪 Germany 🇺🇸 United States

A Kitten for Hitler Themes

Discover the main themes in A Kitten for Hitler (2007). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🕊️

Innocence vs Tyranny

A young boy's act of mercy—bringing a kitten to Hitler—collides with the brutality of a genocidal regime. The innocence of Lenny stands against the violence and hatred surrounding him. The story uses this contrast to explore how compassion can meet ruthless power.

🎭

Propaganda and Perception

The opening newsreel and the theater audience reveal how public perception shapes reality. The events pivot on how stories, symbols, and gestures influence memory of a time of war. The film uses theatricality to critique how history is told.

✨

Miracles and Memory

The swastika-to-Star of David transformation of the lampshade is presented as an act of memory and a possible miracle. The lamp's life—its shrine, and Truman’s Purple Heart—turn memory into a symbol that outlives the moment of atrocity. The film questions how stories of suffering become revered or sanctified.

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A Kitten for Hitler Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of A Kitten for Hitler (2007). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the shadow of a world at war, a modest Brooklyn movie house becomes the unlikely spark for a daring notion. Inside the dim theater, a young Jewish boy watches the looming figure of a tyrant on the screen, while his mother tries to shield him from the looming horror. The juxtaposition of ordinary holiday yearning against the starkness of global conflict defines a tone that swings between grim reality and absurdist whimsy, setting the stage for a quest that feels both childlike and defiantly subversive.

When the boy—Lenny—asks what Santa will bring this year, the answer is an audacious plan: traverse continents with a tiny, unsuspecting kitten, hoping the simple act of gifting will soften the heart of the infamous dictator. The premise is steeped in stark contrast—innocent compassion pitted against the cold machinery of tyranny—creating a satirical mood that feels both tender and darkly comic. The journey itself is imagined as a surreal odyssey, where the ordinary act of presenting a pet becomes a symbolic gamble with history.

The mother, a figure of quiet resilience, watches her child’s resolve unfold, embodying the personal stakes that linger behind every headline of atrocity. Their bond and the boy’s unwavering optimism drive the film’s emotional core, while the cinematic world surrounding them blends gritty historic textures with a heightened, almost theatrical absurdity. In just ten minutes, the short crafts a vivid tableau where hope, humor, and horror intersect, inviting the audience to contemplate whether the purest gestures can ever truly reach the darkest hearts.

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