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This second world war-set feature dramatises the story of German-resistance figure Helmuth Hübener, a Mormon teenager from Hamburg who went from being a member of the Hitler Youth to distributing leaflets denouncing the Nazi regime. According to the film, Hübener (Ewan Horrocks) was partly inspired to act because his Jewish friend Salomon Schwarz gets shipped off to Auschwitz. Hübener’s main motivation, apparently, was that he wanted people to know the truth, hence the movie’s alliterative title.

It would be oh-so-easy to dismiss this film as maladroit Christian saviour-touting melodrama, however historically accurate it might be. It is especially tempting given one of the companies backing it is faith-based outfit Angel Studios, which brought us the QAnon-adjacent Sound of Freedom from a few years back. Plus, poor old Salomon (Nye Occomore) barely features much before he meets his epiphany-inciting fate. He certainly doesn’t get as much screen time as Hübener’s chief antagonist, Gestapo officer Erwin Mussener (Rupert Evans), who we learn has a soft side and his own freight of tragedy to bear before he starts yanking people’s fingernails out.

Having said all that, though, it has to be acknowledged that the acting is really quite good – especially from Horrocks and Evans, whose climactic conversation about the nature of truth, literary skill and sacrifice has a real Death and the Maiden intensity, sharpened by persuasive, punchy dialogue. The last 20 minutes also crackle and pop to a considerable extent, offering a satisfying cue-up to the final fate-revealing and duly wrenching what-happened-next texts, capped by a vintage quote from Alexei Navalny. In short, this is a flawed film, but it feels like its heart is in the right place, and any anti-fascist message is welcome and timely in these dark times.

• Truth & Treason is on Prime Video from 20 April.