What Is A Kitten for Hitler About?
The premise of A Kitten for Hitler in 253 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
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.
What Happens in A Kitten for Hitler?
The complete story of A Kitten for Hitler, from the first scene to the last, in 311 words (about 1 minute). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 5 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
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: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Brooklyn newsreel sparks questions about Hitler” to “Legacy of memory”. 12 events name a place, across 4 locations.
- 1
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.
When:Winter 1941 Where:Brooklyn, New York
- 2
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.
When:Christmas 1941 Where:Brooklyn, New York
- 3
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.
When:Christmas 1941 Where:Berlin, Germany
- 4
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.
When:December 1941 Where:Berlin, Germany
- 5
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.
When:December 1941 Where:Berlin, Germany
- 6
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.
When:December 1941 Where:Berlin, Germany
- 7
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.
When:Post-war period Where:Brooklyn, United States
- 8
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.
When:Post-war period Where:Brooklyn, United States
- 9
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.
When:Post-war period Where:Brooklyn, United States
- 10
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.
When:Post-war period Where:White House, United States
- 11
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.
When:Post-war period Where:White House, United States
- 12
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.
When:Post-war period Where:Brooklyn, United States
Who Are the Main Characters in A Kitten for Hitler?
8 characters, among them Lenny (Rusty Goffe), Lenny's Mom (Lisi Tribble) and Adolf Hitler (Philip Pritchard): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- L(
Lenny (Rusty Goffe)
Played by 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
- LM
Lenny's Mom (Lisi Tribble)
Played by 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
- AH
Adolf Hitler (Philip Pritchard)
Played by 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
- EB
Eva Braun (Rosie Thewlis)
Played by 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
- S(
Santa (Ken Russell)
Played by 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
- PT
President Truman (Rufus Graham)
Played by 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
- ST
Storm Trooper 1 (Steve Mullins)
Played by 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
- ST
Storm Trooper 2 (Paul O'Shea)
Played by Paul O'Shea
Another guard in Hitler's security detail who helps situate the story within the Nazi war machine's everyday operations.
- 🪖 Soldier
Where and When Is A Kitten for Hitler Set?
A Kitten for Hitler is set in Brooklyn, New York, Germany and United States (Winter 1941 – postwar era). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
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.
Where
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
What Are the Themes of A Kitten for Hitler?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Innocence vs Tyranny, Propaganda and Perception and Miracles and Memory.
-
01
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.
-
02
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.
-
03
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.
What Kind of Film Is A Kitten for Hitler?
Dark in tone, with fast pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Mixed
A deeply unsettling and macabre satire that uses a child's innocent quest to deliver a shocking critique of Nazi brutality, creating a whirlwind of absurd comedy and horror.
- satirical
- macabre
- absurd
- tragic
- unsettling
- bitterly ironic
- the holocaust
- innocence vs tyranny
- satire
- brutality
Content notes: child death, graphic violence, mutilation of a corpse, nazi war crimes, the holocaust.
Quiz
How well do you remember A Kitten for Hitler? Test yourself on the story.
