by Joseph Davis, Contributing Writer
As I’m writing this, it is a few days away from the 79th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe. In many ways, it is a time for people in some places to celebrate the triumph over an oppressive regime responsible for some of the most evil atrocities committed in human history. Admittedly, when trying to find a film I found suitable for Out of Market, I was not attempting to find one that I felt tied into this particular anniversary. However, after watching the 2023 Belgian film Will (titled as Wil for the Belgian release), I couldn’t help but feel that it’s a movie that does deserve to be seen by a broader audience and for people here in the states who, as I’ve highlighted with a few other historical movies from other nations, often forget that there is a wider world history with a far deeper and darker nuance than what we might know about. Thus, I feel compelled to bring it to you, dear SiftPop readers, as something that is worth the time to watch.
Authors note: this movie contains some truly troubling depictions, including scenes of suicide, violence and oppression against civilians, murder, and rampant antisemitism. Viewer discretion is highly advised.
First off, I want to discuss some of what the setting of this movie is. It’s a film where the cast are in an occupied Antwerp, Belgium at the height of the war and of German occupation. Right off the bat, we have a very dark setting as this film absolutely does not pull a punch on what that means. I think back in a way to another film I watched for this series in 1944 on this subject, as the Estonian movie chooses to depict both sides of what the war meant for the people of the country. Will goes far deeper than that in this case, as our main character is a member of the police in the occupied city, and we don’t get two distinct characters for the different sides of the war but instead just one. Through the film, Will is given multiple and repeated choices on what side they are on, with each choice given to him being more and more difficult, and therefore far more of a risk for himself, his family, and his loved ones. You’re truly seeing a film where the main character is put in a truly impossible situation where the main goal is to survive.
Another aspect I want to discuss is the side characters in this film. I won’t go into deep details about each one, but the depth they have from those in the resistance to the collaborators and the occupiers truly make this film work in a way. It would be easy to paint these groups in one way or another, but the film makes both sides feel truly real, and that is what makes this film so gut wrenching in a way. On one side you have people who you want to win, hope to win. But on the other you have a group who will do truly monstrous things in order to break the will of those who resist. In a way, that to me makes the title have a double meaning. Yes our title character is Will, but through the film you wonder if he will have the will to make the right choices as he is pressured on both sides by those he loves and those he fears. It ultimately makes a film where the subject and the story cannot be anything but dark and, at times, truly horrifying beyond words.
So, why am I bringing this film up here? Because in many ways, history is often kept in a certain area. The movie itself even exclaims it as such: you memorize the dates, the leaders, and that’s it. But in many ways, that’s wrong. History isn’t always a story with a happy ending. It’s dark, it’s often horrifying to go into the details, but it’s something that must be remembered. Honestly, that is why this film is likely going to stick with me for some time now. It’s a hard watch, but I definitely feel that the story is one that we sometimes need to have, because sometimes the prince doesn’t save the day and rescue the princess, and that while we know ultimately the outcome of events that serve as a basis of a film, sometimes we forget what we keep hidden to the shadows, and that sometimes a light is needed on those moments so that they don’t become forgotten.
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