Wil (2023)

Saw this film in Premiere yesterday... WOW!!!

Very strong acting and a story that really hits home...

The room was also quiet when the film was over, shortly afterwards there was loud applause!!!

I thought it would be a good movie, but I didn't expect it to be this good.

Zillion was the movie of 2022, Wil is definitely the movie of this year!!!

Flemish films have been weak in recent years, but thanks to Wil we now have a topper for a second year!!

I would definitely say go check it out

Can be seen everywhere in Belgium from September 27

Translated from Dutch · View original

Antwerp, 1942. Wil(fried) [Stef Aerts] and Lode [Matteo Simoni] are prepared by their commander [Jan Bijvoet] for their first day of work as Gendarmes who do not serve the public interest, but that of the occupying forces. They work under the motto of the last line 'I Saw Two Bears'. On their first day, an SS man [Pit Bukowski] demands that they accompany him to the home of a Jewish family whom he severely abuses. Lode refuses to stand by in silence and comes to their aid. In the skirmish that follows by Wil the SS man. Wil and Lode hide the corpse, but soon have to face the gruesome consequences of their act. Because of their position, they are very useful for a resistance group, which warns Jews in time about upcoming raids. Film adaptation of the book of the same name by Jeroen Olijslagers in which the dividing line between right and wrong is just as vague as in Paul Verhoeven's Black Book. Directed with a great sense of time and atmosphere, Mielants contains some impressive moments, but Wil's motives are vague and Aerts shows his emotions a little too clearly where this should not be possible. Other negatives are the caricatured Germans and a rather absurd romantic subplot.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Definitely a strong film, but a somewhat difficult storyline to follow. I think it is advisable to have some prior knowledge about the content of the film. The acting is very good and the film work is also really good. The subtitles are necessary because the actors speak in a dialect and sometimes unclearly. Recommended? Depending on how much you already know about the topic. In short, I thought it was a good film, but in retrospect I should have read up on the story beforehand. Maybe I'll watch the movie again when it comes out on demand.

Translated from Dutch · View original