What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Blistering performances.

Weak title for a strong second world war-time drama set in a small Dutch town occupied by the German Army in early 1945. The plot centres on a young teenage boy, just on the cusp of manhood, whose curiosity and growing wish to contribute to the war effort begins to lead him into trouble, especially as his father is the conciliatory town mayor. When a young British fighter-pilot's plane comes down just outside the town and he has to kill an investigating enemy soldier on patrol, young Theo determines to track him down and lead him to safety.Realistically shot in the grey, cold winter time, the story probably includes a bit too much clichéd action which makes the twists in the tale somewhat predictable when they come. In no particular order these involve the boy's relationship with a newly-arrived uncle sympathetic to the Dutch Resistance movement, his nurse sister's burgeoning relationship with the baby-faced young Brit and his tricky relationship with his father in whom he is disappointed at his apparent cooperation with the Germans. The movie also inserts a number of nail-biting moments of near-discovery, treachery and last-minute attempted rescues, possibly too many for the story to bear in its running-time and still seem true-to-life. There's a mild rites-of-passage undertow to events as the young boy's sexual desires awaken, courtesy of a handy peephole in his upstairs room when his family put in a young girl and her family, a set of pornographic playing cards and finally, mist blatantly, when his sister gets together with the pilot.The final scene of heroic escape is again a bit too exaggerated for my taste as is the boy's overcoming his natural aversion to guns until provoked too far, but for all my caveats, it's a fast-moving, exciting and gripping story, very well-acted by most of the leads, only the young British actor playing the pilot seems too lightweight in his portrayal.I see this movie won several awards in its native Holland and I can understand why. It's a good movie which might have worked a bit better for me with a few less climactic scenes which tend to overpower the narrative and seem like an unnecessary concession to Hollywood action movie conventions.

"Winter in Wartime" is a Dutch film based on a young adult novel of the same name by Jan Terlouw. The protagonist is a pre-teen named Michiel who is the son of a provincial town's mayor during Nazi Occupation in the waning days of World War II. Michiel is ashamed of his father, perceiving that he's too cozy with the Germans but is actually doing the best he can given the dire circumstances of living under Nazi rule. When Uncle Ben, an apparent member of the Resistance, returns home, Michiel is overjoyed that there is at least someone in the family who is actually a "man of action." Later, in a nice twist, we find out that appearances are deceiving.The bulk of the film concerns a British pilot who is forced to a make a crash landing in the forest and ends up killing a German soldier in order to save himself. Michiel stumbles upon the pilot's hideout and decides to help him. There is a strong scene where Michiel's father is taken away in reprisal for the discovery of the dead soldier, shot by the British pilot. Michiel counts on Uncle Ben who promises to pull some strings; but as we later learn, the father heroically refuses to let someone take his place, and is put in front of a firing squad by orders of the top Nazi commander in the village.All this is quite educational for a young adult viewer eager to learn more about the Nazis and their modus operandi viz-a-viz the Dutch in World War II. But Winter in Wartime goes awry in the awkward plot machinations served up in the second half of the narrative. Most unconvincing is that chase featuring Michiel and the British pilot, ensconced in an old rickety buggy versus a bunch of Germans in a fast moving automobile. Their escape into the woods simply does not pass the simplest of litmus tests. Another thing that bothered me was that the German soldiers had a close-up view of Michiel when he was stopped right before their madcap escape. Wouldn't the Nazis back in town have recognized MIchiel from the description, realizing he was the kid who helped the pilot to escape?Also quite unbelievable is the British pilot's escape, as he moves like an acrobat, on the underside of a well-watched bridge. And do we also need the aside of the sister having a bout of sex with the pilot? No doubt the films' scenarists reasoned that this would be appealing to a young adult audience. Finally, in terms of criticism, things don't move fast enough in the plot to save the pilot. There are just too many visits to the hideaway and when we get to the climactic chase scene, it's a big letdown.Winter in Wartime does make the welcome point that there were collaborators in Holland during this time. SUPER SPOILERS AHEAD. So it's a welcome twist when the seemingly heroic Uncle Ben morphs into the dastardly friend of the Nazis and must be disposed of by Michiel, who is forced to shoot his Uncle upon threat that he'll be turned into the Nazis by his own flesh and blood.Winter in Wartime is basically a by-the-numbers treatise on the Nazi occupation in Holland. For young viewers, it's a basic introduction to what the local population had to deal with during this point in history. If only there was more of an attempt to dispense with contrivances in the plot. Had this been done, Winter in Wartime could possibly have approached being a classic.

Because my parents were children during the war I watched the movie....carefully.This movie nearly transported me to my father's very childhood as he was the same age as Michael and had very similar experiences during that time, very.I'm thankful it was made and made with good attention (although not perfect) to the smallest of detail. I am thankful to have watched it. I will watch it again.It amazes me how one man, Hitler (who was obviously insane), can influence so many people to do such terrible things. And, many believe today that we as a people are much smarter than that. Sadly, I'm not convinced that we are.If you have any interest in this story, watch this movie!

"Dirk should never have got you involved." After 14 year old Dutch boy Michael (Lakemeier) finds a wounded British soldier during WWII he has to pick a side, resistance or appease the Nazi's. This is a very good coming of age story. It shows how a 14 year old in a war zone is forced to grow up earlier then he should and how he deals with hiding the fact that he is helping "the enemy" from everyone, even his family. The title of the movie is deceiving, to me anyway. There is not a typical war movie, in the fact that there is no actual fighting. It is set around a boy and the part of the war that we don't usually see. This is a very good movie, but this is another one that is not for everyone. It is a little slow moving in parts, but as a foreign movie that is expected. The acting by the boy is very very good and at 17 years old looks to have a long career ahead of him. Overall, a very, very well done movie that deserves to be seen. One of the most dramatic war movies I have seen. I like it. I give it a B.Would I watch it again? - I don't think I would, but it was good.*Also try - Enemy At The Gates