Wil

I went to see this movie because I absolutely loved Mielants' first film, De Patrick. I knew nothing about Wil, and didn't read the book, but went solely because it was another film by Mielants. And it did not disappoint.

The story is a bit thin (you can kind of guess where the movie's going), but the cinematography is beautiful, and the acting is very solid. I was not bored throughout the movie, and was also moved emotionally, especially near the end. While it's an entirely different type of movie from De Patrick, you recognise Mielants' signature style in it. Visually it's a also very impressive movie.

The choice to crop the screen so that it feels more like a movie of old; and the way the movie is shot very up close and personal in all actors' faces, really contributes to the suspension and feeling of unease. The score and music of the movie was also amazing.

I think this is a very strong movie made by one of Belgium's most talented directors.

Despite the poor title(the character isn't referred to that much, even more so for the audience to remember his name) and a uninvolving romantic sub plot with his friend's sister that is underwritten, this is a chilly, well acted drama.

Like Munich: The Edge of War and One Life the German occupation is a catalyst in providing a tense background for a story where anything can happen.

I thought the bleakness added to the overall tragedy especially at the end, which may alienate some hoping for a happy ending.

With The Zone of Interest and One Life , the topic of the Holocaust is still prevalent and important.

During war and conflict survival trumps all else. There are different ways to survive for ordinary civilians.

However, as a police officer in German occupied Antwerp, Belgium Wil's options are limited. Does he collaborate and watch other civilians die brutally at the hands of the German Gestapo? Does he join the resistance and fight the German occupation?

There are no easy answers in this - or in life. Sometimes it even becomes hard - or impossible - to change course midstream in the extreme circumstances precipated by war.

As a movie, Wil adroitly puts on screen the complexities of life and the choices required to survive during wartime. The film is well acted, realistic though slow - hence the seven stars.

There's probably deliberate ambiguity in the title of this Belgian-made film about the wartime German occupation of Antwerp, with a double-meaning of the central character's name and ultimately his will for self-preservation in deciding between conscience and sacrifice when your life and more importantly, those of others, depends on it.

It's 1941 and we're immediately dropped in on the German Army overseeing their control of the city police force. It's an uneasy time and it's clear the captain in charge is no German lapdog. Later, on his way to work at night in absolutely filthy weather along with his friend and fellow-cop Lode, is the young, recently inducted Wil. Corralled by a German soldier into accompanying him in rooting out a family of Jews, both the young men are immediately tested by subsequent events and come down in favour of the angels in rescuing the family, but their intervention precipitates a terrible retribution by the Nazis whose young, smooth-talking commandant exacts bloody revenge on a rounded-up group of innocent Communist sympathisers, ruthlessly carried out by his grinning goon second-in-command.

Completely unnerved by these events, Wil is pulled this way and that with his obligations to his own family, his introduction to the Belgian Resistance group, his growing relationship with the initially distrusting sister of Lode and finally the expectation that he will subjugate himself to the Nazis and lead them to the truth about what really happened to their missing officer and by extension go on to hunt down and exterminate the local Resistance.

Be warned, this isn't a film for the faint-hearted containing as it does several scenes of look-away brutality, murder and torture. It all ends with Wil having to make his own mind up as to whether he puts his instinct for self-preservation over his inherent humanity and compassion for others. His dilemma is reminiscent, if in a more extreme way, of Winston Smith's in Orwell's "1984" and you probably know how that ends...

This is a dark and bleak feature which holds up a "what would you do?" mirror in front of the viewer and this, even more than some of the graphically harrowing scenes depicted, makes it an uneasy watch.

The ensemble acting is excellent. Lead Stef Aerts in the title role is presented to us initially as a naive, idealistic youth caught in the headlights by events, with his cherubic looks and almost angelic golden curls he resembles a young Art Garfunkel, but as events overtake him, we see him cauterized into the barbaric automaton he becomes at the end. Annelore Crollet as his girlfriend acts as the moral conscience of the film, taking over that role from her brother and it's she who delivers the final verdict on his actions at the movie's shocking climax.

Filmed in hyper-realistic style by Tim Mielants, while I considered there to be one or two implausible plot-jumps and might have welcomed at least some beacons of hope in the narrative, this was nevertheless a compelling study of the opposing psychologies of the oppressors and the oppressed in wartime.

This movie is produced in Belgium and based on a fictional novel. It tells the story of Wilfried (Wil) Wils, which just started working for the Antwerp police in occupied Belgium during WW2. After just having finished his police training in 1942, we see how he struggles with the events he experiences during his job as police officer.

The City of Antwerp is a very relevant location during WW2, not only because of it being a huge harbour, but also because of the city having many jewish inhabitants. Even today, the city of Antwerp is known for its "Diamond District", which houses many jews. As such, Antwerp was facing many razzia's during WW2, where jewish people were rounded up for deportation. And it is in this climate, that we see this movie take place.

Although this movie is not based on true events, I think that it is still relevant for any person interested in WW2. This since it shows what is expected from being a police officer in a city with many jewish inhabitants.

I found the overall storyline not that impressive - but the movie was still a very okay watch. This mainly because I was pretty impressed by how everything looked: all uniforms and other props looked authentic for the 1942 period. Most impressive are the houses, streets and other locations like e.g. The central railway station looked! As such, I really had the idea I was watching Antwerp as it may have looked like in 1942.

I score this movie at 6.7/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 7 stars.