Oorlogswinter (2008)

Near the end of World War II, 14-year-old Michiel becomes involved with the Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded British soldier. With the conflict coming to an end, Michiel ... See full summary »

Director:

Martin Koolhoven

Writers:

Mieke de Jong (screenplay), Martin Koolhoven (screenplay),

Stars:

Martijn Lakemeier, Yorick van Wageningen, Jamie Campbell Bower

10 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martijn Lakemeier	...	Michiel
Yorick van Wageningen	...	Oom Ben
Jamie Campbell Bower	...	Jack
Raymond Thiry	...	Johan
Melody Klaver	...	Erica
Anneke Blok	...	Lia
Mees Peijnenburg	...	Dirk
Jesse van Driel	...	Theo
Dan van Husen	...	Auer
Ad van Kempen	...	Schafter
Tygo Gernandt	...	Bertus
Ben Ramakers	...	Veerman
Tibo Vandenborre	...	Duitse Soldaat Redding
Jens Roth	...	Duitse Soldaat 1
Peter Eberst	...	Duitse Soldaat 2

Storyline

Near the end of World War II, 14-year-old Michiel becomes involved with the Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded British soldier. With the conflict coming to an end, Michiel comes of age and learns of the stark difference between adventure fantasy and the ugly realities of war.

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Plot Keywords:

british soldier | soldier | coming of age | world war two | teen | 

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Taglines:

In 1945 Holland, a boy must choose between good and evil.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [nl]

Country:

Netherlands Belgium

Language:

Dutch English German

Release Date:

27 November 2008 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Winter in Wartime

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

€4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$14,937 (USA) (18 March 2011)

Gross:

$542,860 (USA) (29 July 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Isabella Films B.V., Fu Works, Isabella Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Martin Koolhoven has talked in interviews about how some spaghetti westerns influenced the movie. The introduction of Ben (played by Yorick van Wageningen) is similar to the introduction of Cheyenne (played by Jason Robards)in Once Upon a Time in the West in the sense that the lead first hears the approaching character, which has a mystifying effect. Then the character is seen, but his eyes are covered by their hat, through a movement of the head of the actor, the eyes of the character is shown, completing the mythologizing effect. Koolhoven has also talked about the influence of The Great Silence and A Man Called Blade on the movie.

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Goofs

There's a lot of snow in Oorlogswinter - except on the roofs of buildings.

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Connections

Referenced in De wereld draait door: Episode #5.97 (2010)

User Reviews

Outstanding coming of age film from Holland

The Dutch film "Oorlogswinter" was shown in the United States with the title "Winter in Wartime" (2008). It was co-written and directed by Martin Koolhoven.

The movie stars Martijn Lakemeier as Michiel, a teenager whose father is the mayor of the town in which the family lives. World War II is coming to an end, but the Germans are still firmly in control of the area.

Martin's father is not truly a collaborator with the Germans, but he has established cordial relations with them in order to spare the town and its inhabitants from destruction. Michiel's uncle, Oom Ben, is in the Dutch resistance.

The plot moves forward rapidly after Michiel discovers a wounded British airman, Jack (Jamie Campbell Bower). Michiel is caught up in a swirl of hazardous, terrifying incidents.

"Oorlogswinter" is a coming-of-age film, but it's also much more. Director Koolhoven has captured the bleakness of the Dutch winter landscape, and the attempt by Michiel's family to maintain a semblance of normality in the face of ever-present danger.

The German soldiers aren't presented as unremittingly evil, nor are the Dutch citizens presented as noble in every respect. Nonetheless, good and evil clearly exist in the world and in this film. Who chooses good, and who chooses evil, is at the heart of the movie.

"Winter in Wartime" is an outstanding film. I believe it is underrated with an IMDb rating of 7.1. I suggest you seek it out and watch it. If it's not commercially released in your area, it will work well on DVD.