Winter in wartime

" The Netherlands' official submission to 82nd Academy Award's Foreign Language in 2010"

We saw this recently at the Academy screenings, and thought it one of the better foreign films we have seen this year. Hope it gets a nomination at least, and thus a US release! Contrary to some of the reviews here, we thought the acting was excellent. It's not Saving Private Ryan, but nevertheless quietly intense. More psychological than a battlefield story, it plays beautifully with the woven story of coming of age and into responsibility. As actors and as frequent voters for the foreign film category, definitely recommending this. -- Stephen and Ann Tobolowsky

This has always been a movie I expected to like but never one I expected to love. I don't know, the movie always seemed a bit too low-budget and narrow with its story, characters and settings and overdone with its drama and action. Dutch movies tend to be told a but clumsily at times, especially when its also involving some action. Most Dutch film-makers really don't know how to handle action but luckily Martin Koolhoven isn't a director who suffers from this and he also really got almost all of the other stuff right as well.

It's really one great and slick looking movie. It has got a great visual style, that it manages to maintain throughout its entire running time. Looking at this movie you really wouldn't think that it only cost a few millions to make, which really isn't a lot of money in the movie business, not even for a Dutch movie of this size and caliber. They really did an excellent job with its budget and besides its visual look, it also convincingly takes you back to 1945 wartime- and winter struck Holland. Director Martin Koolhoven even subtly managed to put in his love for spaghetti westerns in this movie (which is probably also the reason why it stars Dan van Husen in it) with some of the sequences and camera-work, without it being obvious or distracting for the casual viewer.

And the movie does really feature some great camera-work by Guido van Gennep, that doesn't only just capture the mood and atmosphere of the movie well but also makes the movie more dynamic with its movements and set-up. Same can be said for the nimble editing by Job ter Burg, which doesn't prevent the movie from having some pacing issues in it though.

But guess you could really 'blame' the fact that this movie is based on a novel for that. The story doesn't always flow well or moves along fast enough and it has some characters that more or less get neglected, as the movie moves along. This is all because it's based on a popular and well known novel by Jan Terlouw, which is 164 pages long and of course features way too much stuff to all effectively put into one movie. This is something basically all movies based off on novels suffer from, so you can't really blame the film-makers, though I still wished they would had treated some of its characters better and more interestingly. Such as for instance the Schafter and Auer characters, that had far more potential in them and could had really added something more to the story, its themes and the depth of it all.

But that are about the only things that could had potentially made this movie an even better one, fore it does basically everything else right.

It's not just a typical Dutch movie that is involving WW II. It's more one that is somewhere between a serious and heavy drama as well as a tense and engrossing one, in a more thriller kind of way. What the movie also does well is appealing to both a younger and older crowd. This isn't specifically just a movie kids or adults, it's one for all ages.

But the movie still could not had worked out as well as it did, if it weren't for its cast. For this movie it was very important that they had a good young main lead in it and with Martijn Lakemeier they really succeeded with this. But basically everyone's performance in this movie is real good. It also features some big and well known names in it, most notably Yorick van Wageningen. Though it needs to be said that he has been working and living in the United States for so long now, that he has actually grown a thick accent when speaking Dutch. Luckily it doesn't ever get that bad or too distracting and people who don't speak or understand Dutch will not be bothered by this at all of course.

This (almost Oscar nominated) movie surpassed my expectations really!

8/10

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14 year-old Michiel lives in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation in the latter part of WWII. Although he's still only a kid, he happens upon a downed British flier and bravely decides to help him--even though the expedient thing would have been to stay out of this. To complicate things, Michiel's father is the local mayor--and a man who has long tried to appease his Nazi overlords. What is the boy to do?

The film is excellent in every way. Martijn Lakemeier did a great job in the leading role and the film was a quality production throughout. I also appreciated it because the film was very difficult to predict. Sure, you know the Nazis would lose and the war would be over in only a few months--but there were so many twists and turns in the film that it kept me guessing. It helped that this was not a 'happily ever after' sort of family film but a gritty one that was about a boy who needed to grow up very, very fast and make some very adult things. Well worth seeing and a decent film for the family despite its R-rating.

Yet, another great Dutch war movie. Before i went to the cinema to see this movie, i thought it was just a war movie for children, but it wasn't. The story is one of the most famous books in The Netherlands, and Martin Koolhoven did a great job on making it to a movie.

The camera positions were very good and he really gives the war-feeling, what isn't nice, but improves the reality. Not only the sets and camera positions were good, but I was also very surprised on the acting of almost all actors. Very good casting and I think we found some new talent. The way Koolhoven puts the adultery against the adolescence is so good. Especially on the end, since the ending isn't that nice, still it gives you a good feeling. Also the music was beautiful and fits perfect. Good job!

So, you are the Mayor of a small town in Holland - being occupied by the Germans near the end of WWII. What is the best way to safeguard your family and your town? Do you go along with the Germans - smile, shake their hands - accommodate them? Or do you resist and show your hatred openly for them?

That is the dilemma facing the Father of the main character in this film - a young man named Michiel. His Father is the Mayor and Michiel does not respect him as he takes the non confrontational path to appeasing their German occupiers. MIchiel likes his Uncle who is an active part of the Resistance.

Michiel and his sister get caught up in resisting the Germans quite by accident - as they help a downed American airman. The story is tense with a number of twists and turns - and a final very satisfying ending where Michiel learns the true meaning of courage. It sounds schmaltzy, but it isn't.

The best part of the movie is it challenges the watcher to assess what would they have done? It is easy sitting in 2014 America to criticize those people in occupied lands: "They should have done more to resist" - "Thye should not have gone along with the Germans."

Anyone who smugly believes that they would take the "heroic" path and resist openly in such a situation needs to see this movie.