Winter in Wartime vs. Max Manus: The Dueling Resistance Fighter Films

by John Villeneuve
Awards Daily contributing writer

Now that The Netherlands first entry, Wit Lich (The Silent Army) has been deemed ineligible (too much English), this blessing-in-disguise has made way for the far superior, Winter in Wartime (Oorlogswinter), which will compete with Norway’s similarly themed, Max Manus. One (Winter in Wartime) is based on a coming-of-age story, adapted from a book of fiction, the other is said to be based on historical fact. At the heart of both is the underground resistance movements that sprung up throughout Europe as a means to undermined and defeat the Nazis.

Winter In Wartime is set in Holland, 1945, where a 13 year old boy, Michiel (Martijn Lakemeier) becomes an unwitting pawn in the adult machinations of war. His father, the local mayor, is ineffectual and cowardly when it comes to dealing with the Nazi presence–or so the boy thinks–and when an opportunity arises in the guise of a British RAF soldier downed by enemy artillery, the boy takes it upon himself to be the saviour of the ally (with some help from his Uncle Ben, a link in the resistance) and play counterpoint to his weak-willed father.

But, of course, nothing in war is ever that black and white, which Michiel, to his dismay, gradually learns. Constantly, Michiel is forced to re-evaluate his preconceived notions, especially when he encounters unexpected duplicity, a life saving act by a Nazi soldier, and the ultimate truth behind his father’s actions. To it’s credit, Winter in Wartime is full of such nuance.

The Netherlands are usually quite good at depicting childhood innocence and it’s loss, and this film, too, is another admirable effort. The downside is that the sense of danger is not as palpable as it should have been, considering the setting; and, worse yet, is the overwrought, obtrusive score, which threatens to derail the film altogether. Nevertheless, the effective presence of Martijn Lakemeier, and a fine turn by Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeny Todd) as the RAF pilot, reminds us that youthful exuberance is often the real first casualty of war.

Unlike Winter in Wartime, Max Manus is aggravatingly devoid of perplexity. In essence, it personifies the cliche-ridden films of good guys versus bad guys, making it seem more like a standard Hollywood movie than a serious look at the ambiguities of battle.

Set in Oslo, we are introduced to the tile character (played with verve by Aksel Hennie), a freedom fighter determined to undermine the Nazis at every opportunity. To say more would be superfluous because it plays just like it sounds. When I saw the movie at TIFF, it had the laughable title, Max Manus: Man of War, which reminded me of some other action packed movies with similar addendums like Sylvester Stallone’s, Rambo: First Blood, and Steven Segal’s, Under Siege: Dark Territory. Though not as bad as those two films, Max Manus cruises the same familiar landscape of good versus evil.

Supposedly one of the most expensive Norwegian films ever made, Max Manus does not disappoint in the visual sense, but overall, it is dull, overlong, and suffers from delusions of grandeur. And, though few in number, some European historians even question its veracity.

Finally, I believe that the Academy will choose as a nominee one of these two films, because these types of movies are ubiquitous come awards season for a reason. They tend to get nominated. Now the question is will they choose nuance over heavy-handedness? The gentle slap over the hammer attack? If I were a betting man, I would go with Max Manus.