Drenthe is one of the 12 Dutch states. And it's a place where the people look out for each other. There isn't much happening daily. But what Peter Nillesen and his crew did with Betrayal is something extraordinary. Just with a budget of 300.000 euros, all in gifts and sponsorships from municipalities and the province Drenthe.
And if you look at the movie with that in mind you can only be surprised with what they made. This isn't a big budget or Hollywood style film. Betrayal is made by volunteers. Something extraordinary.
Peter Nillesen plays the role of Ludwig Mengelberg a Wehrmacht officer who has seen it all. Death, destruction, the craziness of the Nazis and so on. On one day he gets an assignment to go to The Netherlands. A mission he will never forget. And it's Peter who carries this film. He plays the character so well that in your mind you believe that he's actually there.
The role of Maarten Schoonma played by Dirk Gunther Mohr is well executed. The obsessed SS officer does exactly what you expect from one in the Schutzstaffel. You really hate the man. Allard Geerlings plays the role of Lieutenant de Vries. An officer of the Prinses Irene Brigade. He has an authority aura that you respect immediately.
Betrayal zooms in on Operation Amherst. The operation who prepared the way for the 1st Canadian armed forces. Polish, Dutch, and Canadian men gave there lives to liberate the north. It's something that other films doesn't show. A welcome filmed piece of history.
The film is as I said made and played by volunteers. Many of the didn't had any acting experiences. And this fact is something that you can't forget seeing this wonderfully put together piece of film.
