Werewolf (2018)

Children liberated from a Nazi concentration camp have to overcome hunger, thirst and vicious dogs in an abandoned mansion surrounded by the forest.

Director:

Adrian Panek

Writer:

Adrian Panek

Stars:

Kamil Polnisiak, Nicolas Przygoda, Sonia Mietielica

11 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kamil Polnisiak	...	Wladek
Nicolas Przygoda	...	Hanys
Sonia Mietielica	...	Hanka
Danuta Stenka	...	Jadwiga
Werner Daehn	...	SS Soldier
Jakub Syska	...	'Siwy'
Helena Mazur	...	'Ruda'
Krzysztof Durski	...	'Czarny'
Maksymilian Balcerowski	...	'Chudy'
Julia Slusarczyk	...	'Duza'
Matylda Ignasiak	...	'Mala'
Oleksandr Shcherbyna	...	Lonka (as Oleh Shcherbyna)
Eugeniusz Malinowski	...	Driver
Radoslaw Chrzescianski	...	Red Army Soldier
Wojciech Namiotko	...	Krepak

Storyline

Summer of 1945. A temporary orphanage is established in an abandoned palace surrounded by forests for the eight children liberated from the Gross-Rosen camp. Hanka, also a former inmate, becomes their guardian. After the atrocities of the camp, the protagonists slowly begin to regain what is left of their childhood but the horror returns quickly. Camp Alsatians roam the forests around. Released by the SS earlier on, they have gone feral and are starving. Looking for food they besiege the palace. The children are terrified and their camp survival instinct is triggered.

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Plot Keywords:

world war two | nazi | concentration camp | dog training | dog | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Poland]

Country:

Poland Netherlands Germany

Language:

Polish German Russian

Release Date:

29 March 2019 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Werewolf

Filming Locations:

Table Mountains, Dolnoslaskie, Poland

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,564

Company Credits

Production Co:

Balapolis, Telewizja Polska (TVP), Rosco Polska

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

The Lord of the Nazi Guard Dogs

Perhaps this wasn't the ideal film to go and see with my wife on our date night. And yet, "Werewolf" is a truly captivating, original, courageous and hauntingly realistic hybrid of genres. Polish writer/director Adrian Panek touches upon several extremely sensitive topics, and yet his film never becomes overly melodramatic, preachy or moralizing. On the contrary, I even had the impression that Panek primarily wanted to make a horror/thriller movie, but that it gradually turned into horror mixed with psychological war-drama and coming-of-age fable. "Werewolf" is unique but finds inspiration in classic William Golden novel "Lord of the Flies" and uses ideas that I've seen in more obscure films like "The Seasoning House" (2012), "White Dog" (1982) and "The Pack" (1977). The film opens with grisly and devastating images set in the Nazi concentration camp of Gross-Rosen in 1945, where sadist German soldiers are still rapidly executing as many prisoners as possible before they are liberated. A group of orphaned children, heavily traumatized and practically famished, flee into the thick woods and find shelter in an abandoned mansion. They still aren't safe, though, since there isn't any food or water and vengeful Russian and German soldiers are still prowling the area. When things seemingly can't get any worse, the children become trapped inside the mansion by a pack of hungry and bewildered dogs; - the former guard dogs of the concentration camp that were set free. "Werewolf" is a slow-paced but incredibly intense and atmospheric film with several stupendous performances from the young and inexperienced cast and a marvelous use of set pieces and filming locations. The sequences with the dogs are truly suspenseful and very well-choreographed.

Just to illustrate: we watched "Werewolf" at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, where the crowd is always loud, cheerful and where it's customary to sing during the film or shout funny remarks at the screen. This film managed, however, to shut up the crowd throughout practically the entire running time. Any film that accomplishes this at the BIFFF must have a powerful impact, I guarantee you.