Starring Jakob Salvati, Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, David Henrie and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa; directed by Alejandro Monteverde; 100 minutes; PG-13 for some mature thematic material and violence

Racism and religion, hatred and friendship, bullying and war, atomic bombs and the consequences of using them – heavy stuff to pack into a faith-based film. And one aimed at children.

“Little Boy” is loaded with weighty subjects and teachable moments, all doled out between generous helpings of tragedy and sentiment. It’s ambitious, but it’s also a cluttered weeper whose lessons might have stuck had there been fewer of them.

Pepper (Jakob Salvati) grows up during World War II and has to send his best friend, his “partner,” his dad (Michael Rapaport) into combat in the Pacific. The teen brother (David Henrie) who didn’t qualify for service makes sure that Pepper, derisively nicknamed “Little Boy” by one and all, knows who to hate. Their nickname starts with a “J” and ends with an “ap.”

Little Boy finds his racism lessons interrupted when a kindly priest (Tom Wilkinson, superb) forces him to befriend the other most bullied person in their coastal California town – Hashimoto (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) – an older man just released from an internment camp.

Alejandro Monteverde, the director of the anti- abortion drama “Bella,” will give you whiplash with his abrupt changes in tone. “Little Boy” is all over the place and unsure of its audience. The “magic” of religion is challenged by the faithless, and the idea of literal miracles is pointedly dismissed.

Roger Moore, Tribune News Service

Emily Watson and Jakob Salvati star in “Little Boy.” Courtesy Metanoia Films.