Wilkolak

Not the horror you think it is. Dealing with young children rescued from a concentration camp by the Russian forces at the end of WW2. Taken to a country house with limited food and water. Their situation deteriorates dramatically when they find themselves surrounded by vicious guard dogs from the very death camp they escaped from. Part Lord of the Flies, part Cujo, the tradegy of their existence is brought home time and time again - be it fighting for a simple potato peeling, or the stories they tell of the sights they witnessed. The struggle here is for them to hold on to the slender thread of humanity they still have within them, or decent into a vicious existence, that matches the dogs that threaten them.

When the nazis liberated the concentration camp inmates just ahead of the wave of victorious allies there were all kinds of prisoners who stayed behind. Not only had they lost touch with the world after so long an incarceration, but their very homes were gone, their families were gone. With no one and no home to go to it's no wonder so many stayed, and that includes little children down to babies, and...the dogs. The gestapo dogs. The very dogs that have been trained to go for the throat.

Beautiful scenery and swell filming locations contrast with the horrors of war and genocide - and that's just the setting. Factor in the fundamental elements underlying the story - isolation, hunger, desperation - and creeping, quietly searing music from composer Antoni Komasa-Lazarkiewicz, and the tension is palpable before the plot even meaningfully begins. 'Werewolf,' or 'Wilkolak,' is not a movie that wants its audience to truly sit back and relax.

Acutely jarring moments are sparing, to effect. The emphasis here is on a pervasive, pensive mood, with risk of violent death both in the past and always waiting to burst through. This is bolstered by a color palette dominated by dull, bluish-gray, and tasteful lighting that allows deep shadow to feel ponderous. This is to say nothing of the clashing personalities of the children - disparities that grow more severe as conditions persist and worsen - nor the growing withdrawal of eldest Hanka, whose initial effort to assume responsibility becomes a burden that somewhat builds to detachment.

The small, young cast is superb, but this especially goes for those most prominent - Sonia Mietielica, as Hanka; Kamil Polnisiak, as Wladek; and Nicolas Przygoda, as Hanys. They in particular seem to bear capability of range and nuance befitting the darkness and intensity of the roles, and perform admirably. I hope we get to see more of them all some day.

The atmosphere 'Werewolf' endeavors to fashion isn't wholly enveloping, but ably keeps us on edge. Any viewer specifically looking for a concretely visceral tale with recognizable horror concepts may well feel put out, and possibly deceived by the title and premise. But if you're able to simply let the movie be, and appreciate it without or regardless of presuppositions, the result is highly satisfying as a tale of perseverance and and fortitude in the face of dire circumstances.

It's perfect neither generally nor in how well it keeps us engaged, but 'Werewolf' is a finely crafted, tense feature, well worth checking out for anyone who appreciates more underhanded approaches to their cinema.

If ever a film demonstrated man's inhumanity to man, this has to be up there. Here we have a few half starved kids so terrified of their Nazi guards that they perform automatic, humiliating tasks just to get through each day. You get the distinct impression that they have never known any other kind of life. Once their camp has been liberated and they are effectively abandoned, they take a chance to bond together in a derelict country house for survival and turn into quite an effective group against a clear and natural animal enemy that is now just as deprived of freedom (and food) and many of them. There is certainly some gore, but it seems appropriately inflicted on the deserving. The title is slightly misleading, I thought. There is nothing supernatural about the "horror" here - it's as plain as the nose on your face. Certainly worth seeing on a big screen.

Polish horror drama 'Werewolf' concerns a group of children recently liberated from a Nazi concentration camp. As they settle into an abandoned mansion deep in the forest, they not only have to overcome thirst and hunger, but also fend off a pack of vicious dogs...

Those hoping to see a werewolf will be disappointed, but this film cleverly combines coming-of-age elements and survival horror thrills. It has an interpretative title; whether meant for the Nazi's and how war has transformed them into beasts, how a young child might view grisly injuries on a decaying corpse and conclude that it was caused by something from fantasy, or even how the children themselves have been forever changed by their horrific ordeal. And it's quite understandable why one of the young ones poses the question: Have the SS officers turned into wolves? As the animals attack with bloodthirsty intensity.

You won't get familiar with any names, but the group of characters are good. And of course there's an unstable member who threatens to endanger everyone more than once. (Is he the metaphorical werewolf?) The psychological and physical effects of past imprisonment has worn these children down, but they combine their wits when the dogs lay siege to their decrepit shelter, and there are a number of tense sequences and savage attacks, some of which are done in slow motion quite nicely.

Overall, 'Werewolf' is a solid, unexpected treat. The acting and cinematography is faultless, and it contains a thematically rich narrative that keeps you engaged even when it settles into a more straightforward horror groove.

7/10.