Bezuidenhout

A World War II drama from the Netherlands, written by Dirk Gunther Mohr, directed by Wouter Hermans and starring Dirk Gunther Mohr, Inge Sonderen, Bart Kalisvaart and Chris van Veenen.

Johan (Mohr) lives in Bezuidenhout. The Second World War is taking place and the Nazis are taking over the area. Determined to fight back, Johan and those around him from a resistance group and discover that the enemy is transporting rockets to Haagse Bos and decide to sabotage them. Unfortunately, things go wrong and Ben (Veenen), one of the resisters, is captured. Meanwhile, the group get in contact with the British Military and inform them that the Nazis are planning to bomb London again.

A black-and-white World Ward II feature that shows the events primarily through the perspective of people in the Dutch resistance, as well as the British Armed Forces. The story is dramatic and suspensful, following courageous characters as they struggle to be strong and survive this global conflict. Regarding the War, the film gives an account of the events that led to the Bombing of the Bezuidenhout and reveals the brutality of the Nazis. The film is also effective as a family drama and as an espionage story.

There are various protagonists and the screenplay succeeds in making them likeable, however, it could had explored them further, to make them more engaging.

The performances are great and Mohr does well as the main character, a family man with a wife (Sonderen) and a daughter (Jaydie van den Berg). Veenen's character is the one who feels the force of the Nazis' violence as he is being held in captivity and tortured.

Through themes involving survival, courage, alliance, espionage, loss, betrayal, hope and family, this fifty-minute-long feature tells a dramatic and suspenseful World War II story.

On the surface, this is a World War II film about good people going against the Nazis, with an atmosphere that is dark and supported by the black-and-white cinematography. Crucially, this feature acknowledges the Bombing of the Bezuidenhout and that is what makes it stand out.