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The weird blend of darkly grim and absurdly deadpan that seems quite typical for Belgian comedy. Add a dash of mystery and a confident director exploring his own unique directing style and you get a film that isn't meant to appeal to the big masses, but should find a warm place amongst the lovers of the strange and the peculiar.
Mielants demonstrates he's a talented director. Wil is a film that, at least on paper, wouldn't suit me. I'm weary of wartime stories, I dislike the 4:3 aspect ratio, and the fact that it's a book adaptation is a pretty big red flag too. But it turns out Mielants has cinema in his fingers, and so he saves what could've been a dull film. Wil is an aspiring poet, but the raging war doesn't leave him much time for poetry. He joins the Antwerp police and is tasked with helping the Germans. His girlfriend and her family are trying to help the Jews though, so it doesn't take long before Wil gets caught between two fires. Most of the performances are decent (and thank God the actors are using proper accents), but it's the beautiful lighting and the energetic cinematography that helps this film rise above itself. The middle part is a bit of a struggle, the sprawling finale makes up for it. I'd prefer to see Mielants tackle more interesting projects in the future, but this was pretty solid work.Read all