There's a moment in Make it to Munich which floods you with happy-sadness, that feeling when you want to smile and cry at the same time, when the goodness in the world is so rich and full it catches you in the throat.

The moment is both simple and sublime: one man puts sunscreen on the face of his wounded friend.

In a world where beauty and decency get trampled every day, that scene is a reassurance. All is not lost. Indeed, as long as good people do good deeds, darkness can never win.

As the ancient poet said, "Omnia vincit amor" – love conquers all; not romantic love, but the love that exists between humans, the connections we forge, the subtle acts of kindness we share.

Read more by Neil Mackay

I wasn't sure what I’d think of Make it to Munich. It didn’t seem my type of film. I’m not a huge football fan, and much of the story centres around the sport. But my pals at the Glasgow Film Festival, where the movie premieres in March, urged me to watch it.

The festival’s curators are a talented bunch, so thankfully I trusted their judgment. The documentary has the much-deserved honour of closing the festival.

Let me recap the story and then explain why this film matters, not just as superb cinema, but as a comment on Scotland today. It tells the story of Ethan Walker, a lovely young Aberdeenshire lad.

In 2023, Ethan was 17 and on a football scholarship to America. He’s a talented player. Not long after arriving in the states, Ethan nearly died in a horrific car accident. He was smashed to pieces, and suffered brain haemorrhages. The accident left him........

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