WINTER IN WARTIME is an engrossing World War II drama, set in 1945 Holland.

The story centers on 13-year-old Michiel (Martijn Lakemeier), son of his village's mayor. When local Resistance fighters are captured and killed by the Germans, Michiel finds himself helping a downed British flyer (Jamie Campbell Bower). The youth, working on his own, plans to get the flyer to another village, so that he can reach a contact that will get him back to England. But, when a dead German soldier is found (shot by the flyer), the situation changes.

The Germans take hostages, and one of those hostages is Michiel's father.

Based on the best-selling book by Jan Terlouw and superbly directed by Martin Koolhoven, the Dutch language (with English subtitles) film is filled with suspenseful moments and several surprising plot twists. This is a "coming of age" story under the worst possible circumstances, as a young boy finds that his entire world and everything he loves is put at risk, forcing him to make decisions that will change his life forever.

I'm not a big fan of war movies, but this one is quite powerful. It stays with you long after the final credits roll.

I started watching this feeling quite tired and after five minutes I was wide awake and hooked. This is a film set in the January of 1945 very near the end of the war in occupied Holland. It tells the story of Michiel (Martijn Lakemeir), the son the towns Mayor. He has a paradoxical relationship with his father, in that he hates him for `working' with the Nazi's but at the same time loves him for being his Dad.

One night an RAF plane crashes near to the town, one pilot survives and goes into hiding under the dubious protection of the local resistance, who don't seem too well organised. Michiel then picks up the gauntlet to try to get this English flyer home.

The story is not really about war, but choices and good and evil, how in war nothing is cut and dried. The acting in the whole thing is of a particularly high standard. There have been criticisms that a lot of the `action' was signposted. I hate that in films too, but did not feel that to be the case. There are a few plot holes, but that did not spoil my enjoyment of this great little film.

This is in Dutch, some German and English with quite good sub titles. I should point out that this is not an action war film, there is no blood and guts battle scenes. So if that is what you are looking for then you should be advised to avoid big time. It has a run time of 139 minutes and did not drag, I thought it was a very well made, shot and acted tale of morality and of a boy growing up and dealing with the tragedies of War.

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Judge Clark Douglas, DVD Verdict-Though Winter in Wartime takes place during WWII, the film hews closer to the suspense/thriller genre. Koolhaven demonstrates a real knack for fusing observant naturalism with immensely polished cinematic technique. That fusion makes for an intriguing viewing experience, as the film frequently shifts gear from an arthouse-like exploration of these people and the world they live in to a brisk, tense thriller. In a way, the intense moments are made more effective by the manner in which they spring forth out of a considerably more sedate film. This is clearly the effort of a top-notch craftsman; don't be surprised if Koolhaven is recruited to helm some sort of American prestige project in the near future.

In many ways, Winter in Wartime feels like a WWII movie for the No Country for Old Men era; an emotionally involving but cynical look at the world that wraps everything in aching shades of gray and delivers unsettling catharsis.

Winter in Wartime marches onto Blu-ray sporting a very handsome 1080p/2.35:1 transfer. The film's cool, wintry palette (dominated by assorted shades of white, blue and gray) is a pleasure to absorb, and the level of detail is pristine throughout. Blacks are deep and inky, flesh tones are warm and natural and the occasional bursts of bright color are striking. Audio is also impressive, highlighted by a fantastic score courtesy of Italian composer Pino Donaggio. It's such a pleasure to hear the kind of intensely emotional music Donaggio provides; it's similar to and on par with his best work for Brian De Palma thrillers of the 1970s and 1980s (and so many of the film's best moments owe much of their impact to the power of the score). Dialogue (usually Dutch, but sometimes English) is clean and clear and the spare sound design is distributed in an immersive manner. The only extras are a brief making-of featurette and a theatrical trailer.

-Full review at dvdverdict.com

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WINTER IN WARTIME (Oorlogswinter) is a stunning and intensely involving film that explores the damages war inflicts on all those involved. It is based on the life of Dutch author Jan Terlouw whose novel by the same name reflects the fact that the author spent five harrowing years under Nazi occupation of Holland in WW II: it has been sensitively and successfully adapted for the screen by Mieke de Jong, Paul Jan Nelissen and writer/director Martin Koolhoven. The title of the film commands every aspect of the story the colors of a nearly black and white cinematography, the cold atmosphere that intensifies the desperation of war and of coming of age and the bleak aftermath of a war torn country.

The time is January 1945. Michiel Van Beusekom (and impressive debut by Martijn Lakemeier) is 13 years old, facing the usual stresses of coming of age accentuated by the fact that his village is occupied by Nazi soldiers. Michiel's father Johan (Raymond Thiry) is the town's Bürgermeister (mayor) and attempts to pacify the Nazis whenever possible to protect his town a fact that Michiel finds disgusting, as though his father was a Nazi sympathizer. Despite this disparity in viewing the atmosphere in the town, Michiel and Johan have a tender relationship as well. There is a crash of a British RAF plane just outside the town and Michiel and his friends inspect the plane, taking souvenirs, and then finding that the pilot Jack (Jamie Campbell Bower now King Arthur in the television series Camelot) survived but is wounded. Michiel and Jack become friends and Michiel brings his sister Erica (Melody Klaver) who is a nurse to tend to the leg wound Jack incurred as he parachuted to safety. Erica and Jack form a relationship beyond nurse/patient status and Jack gives Michiel a package that is to be sent to England.

In the midst of the action Michiel's favorite uncle Ben (Yorick van Wageningen) arrives and moves in with the family: he is apparently hiding from the Nazis and becomes Michiel's confidant in his care of the British pilot. Michiel thus becomes a part of the resistance movement and when the Nazis discover a dead comrade (a Nazi killed by Jack when he crashed landed) they intensify their search for traitors. Michiel works to help Jack escape, but someone must pay for the death of a Nazi soldier and it is the revelation of the family's surprising response that brings the film to a nail-biting close. The secrets of who is honest and who is a traitor become apparent. Michiel has become the hero of the story but at a very high price the price of human conflict that war demands and receives.

The cast is thoroughly solid and it is refreshing to note that the humanistic sides of both the Dutch villagers and the Nazi occupiers are made evident instead of the usual bad guy/good guy stereotypes. This is another fine movie about WW II and the effects of that heinous time on the youth who survived it. Highly recommended. In Dutch and German and English with English subtitles. Grady Harp, September 11

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My family lived through the war. They lived in the town of Noordwijkerhout and its surroundings going back over 400 years. I was born during the latter part of the war. However, 11 of my siblings are older than I and a number of them were in their teens during the war. Based on the many personal stories of the war I grew up with, the movie provides a realistic review of the war and the occupation. It all took place not very far from our town. It is a gift to have a very well made movie remind us of what the war felt like. The movie is nuanced and moving. I bought a copy of the movie for myself but also to show my family and my friends.

Although our family emigrated to the U.S. in 1952, it has always maintained strong connections through my extended family and the families of the many spouses (in-laws) who remained behind. Thank you for the movie. It is a great gift to have seen it and to be able to show it to others.

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