This is the third silent film I've ever watched. The other two being Metropolis and Nosferatu. Both I've seen on a big screen in a church accompanied by a live piano performance. Sadly I could not watch I was born, but... this way but it was still a rewarding experience.
Seeing a movie like this is always an interesting experience because it reduces cinema to its core element: moving pictures. It's amazing how well the emotions of the characters are translated to the screen with clever direction and usage of music.
The actors all did a tremendous job and I was sucked into the story the second the movie started. It deals with many relatable themes such as bullying, childhood, adulthood, what a parent means to his child, and expectations towards yourself and others.
Music-wise one gets a piano score that mostly reflects the thing one sees on the screen. It's great. The cinematography is nice too.
Overall I love the movie. It is very emotional and sad but has a somewhat optimistic ending. Like some fellow Film Club members (Enrico, TheDionysiac, Ethan) already have noted: the future of the characters, as well as the actors in the film, would be fighting in WWII. That makes the film even sadder.

Watched with the Collab Film Club.