Winter In Wartime

Winter In Wartime

It was a cold blistery day and I decided to go to a movie. It was colder and more blustery in the film. The set is a small Dutch town during the war. The Germans have taken over. We see the scenes of the Germans taking people from their homes. The German army is everywhere in tanks and trucks patrolling the woods and the town. Everything is bleak and filmed totally in black and white.

Young Michiel is the young hero of the story. His father is the mayor. He does everything to side with the Germans in order to keep things running as smoothly as possible. Was his father weak or smart to try and keep things calm?

Michiel discovers an English plane that his crashed in the woods. The pilot has escaped and is hiding in an underground hole in the woods. His leg is badly injured.

Michiel is disgusted with his father for collaborating with the Germans. Michiel favors his Uncle Ben who he sees as a free thinker who would help him. He finds things in his uncle’s suitcase to make him think his uncle is in resistance to the German army.

Michiel also gets his young sister involved. She is a nurse and is willing to go to the woods and treat Jack, the young pilot.

There is so much tension throughout. I loved the quiet scene with the father showing Michiel how to shave with a straight razor. It was a relief from all the strife and showed a tender relationship even for just a short time.

Michiel gets in over his head. He sees a good friend captured and killed by the Germans. Even his own father is eventually taken by the Germans and killed. Michiel is coping with a great deal. The tension rises as Michiel risks his life to bring food and medicine. He helps to plot the escape of the pilot.

Needless to say there is tension throughout. The cinematography makes you feel cold and isolated during the total film. The long black and white shots of the sparse countryside and the deep woods set the mood.

Michiel is a young boy who is forced to grow up well before his time. He risks everything to help Jack. He is also forced to face startling truths about his family.

There are surprises and twists in the story. You certainly will not be bored. I was always expecting the worst and sat on the edge of my seat.

I practically stood up and cheered when the allies arrived to save the town.