Wil

Wil and Lode are two young rookie cops in Antwerpen, starting their beat in 1942 under the most inauspicious circumstance, namely the Nazi occupation. It is widely known that a lot of Belgians (like citizens of other occupied countries) were willingly collaborating with the Nazis and even if Wil seems reluctant at first, things will take a bad turn, because the two cops are dragged by a Nazi to shake down a Jewish family with dire consequences. We know that the Nazis tortured gleefully whenever they got the chance and here they get plenty: the Nazi soldier disappears and it's found dead (we're shown his rotting corpse), the chief of police is tortured with boiling water, Wil gets more than one severe beating, plus assorted realistic stabbing and atrocities. I wonder how much we actually needed to see to get the point of unspeakable cruelty and relentless gloom and how much was done for shocking purposes only. I think the second is more likely. It doesn't help that the actor playing Wil (with one "L", it's a Dutch nickname) has the unfortunate features of a weakling and his role requires him to act extremely stupid (looking terrified when indifferent or defiant was needed, getting drunk with the Nazis and spilling the beans, etc...) while two more famous Belgian actors (Kevin Janssens and Koen De Bouw) who could have given some gravitas to the story, appear only in secondary roles. I give two stars (one compulsory) because I lived in Belgium and I liked the short scene in Antwerpen monumental train station (the old part, obviously...)

I thought it very disappointing, there was one strong moment ( morals vs survival ), but in general its a copycat from other and better holocaust movies with some unrealistic story plots and sterotyping behaviours. The main actor surely has talent but the emotion during the movie was kind of basic (yelling, sex and stares), not worked out, something which was a habit in Flemish movies. I regret the story didnt show what really happened in Antwerp and Belgium (for example the train to Auschwitz which was stopped etc), which is much more interesting because that is a realistic part of history we never had a movie about. Also Antwerp city is not really portrayed in the movie (some foreign city is i think) and almost the entire duration of the movie plays in the dark/night/...

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In this film we follow the storyline of the origins of the resistance during the Second World War in Antwerp from the eyes of the young police officer Wils. The story is told as history actually occurred. All necessary, sometimes cruel, details are included in the film. At times the film is frightening and cruel, giving you a feeling of envy towards history. The scenes are filmed entirely in the Antwerp dialect, which is sometimes difficult to understand even as a Flemish person. So turning on the subtitles is definitely a must. The film itself is very structured. We start with a general introduction and quickly get started with the effective storyline. The events follow each other in quick succession and you continue to be triggered to look up. However, there is a time jump halfway through the film, which suddenly makes it seem a bit confusing and it takes a while before you realize what just happened.

The global streaming service NETFLIX has added a very interesting war drama from Belgium to its program. The film of the same name by director Tim MIELANTS was created based on the novel WIL by the Belgian writer Jeroen OLYSLAEGERS. Antwerp during the Nazi occupation: two young police officers (Stef AERTS and Matteo SIMONI) are forced to work with the German occupiers. The two of them, Wil and Lode, don't like it at all. One night an unexpected death occurs when they have to accompany a field gendarme (Pit BUKOWSKI) who is engaged in blackmail. Despite great fears, Wil and Lode secretly join the Antwerp resistance, which is also thanks to Lode's tomboyish sister Yvette (Annelore CROLLET). But the three did the math without the cunning SS-Obersturmführer Gregor Schnabel (Dimitrij SCHAAD). He sneaks up on Wil's fun-loving Aunt Emma (Tine Van den WYNGAERT) and, together with his torturing henchman (Szymon WROBLEWSKI), gets closer and closer to tracking down the resistance... The film shows the conditions during the war as they probably were. The two idealistic young police officers also have to deal with willing followers in their own ranks and the speechless civilian population standing by. A clever portrait of the conditions at the time! And a coherent consideration of the question of how one would act even in times of greatest danger. The three young main actors are supported by seasoned film actors from Flemish-Dutch cinema. Kevin JANSSENS (CLOSE, 2022), Koen De BOUW (DE PREMIER, 2016) and Jan DECLEIR (ANTONIA, 1995 and KARAKTER, 1997) can be seen in smaller roles. And Dimitrij SCHAAD, who is known from the KANGAROO CHRONICLES (2020), cuts an excellent figure as the diabolical Nazi villain. Worth seeing!

As "Wil" (2023 release from Belgium; 114 min.) opens, we are in "Antwerp, 1942", and the Nazi have occupied the city. We are introduced to Wil and Lode, 2 guys who have just joined the ranks of the Antwerp police. They loathe the Germans but are forced to work with them... At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie. Couple of comments: this is the latest from writer-producer-director Tim Mielants, bringing the best-selling novel of the same name by Jeroen Olyslaegers to the big screen. I have not read the book and hence cannot comment how closely the film stick to the book. What I do know is this: this is a hard-hitting movie about the moral dilemmas of people who are put into an. Impossible position. Beware: there are several scenes of violence and worse that are sure to make you feel uncomfortable. There is no sugarcoating of what life was like under Nazi occupation. As a complete aside: I hail from Antwerp, Belgium (but now a longtime resident in the US) and I can't help but feel a little disappointed how little of the actual city is shown in the movie. "Wil" was a runaway success in Flanders, Belgium last year (sold the most tickets of any film released there in 2023; also just swept the local equivalent of the Oscars). "Wil" premiered in Belgium last September, and it just started streaming on Netflix here. If you are in the mood for a tense movie that is heavy on moral issues of Nazi occupation in WWII, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

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.

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.