THE FORGOTTEN BATTLE
FOLLOWING A CHARACTER-DRIVEN FORMULA SIMILAR TO CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S DUNKIRK, THIS DUTCH FILM HIGHLIGHTS THE OFTEN UNDERREPRESENTED ROLE OF CANADA IN WORLD WAR II
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. Starring: Gijs Blom, Jamie Flatters, Susan Radder, Tom Felton Released: Available on Netflix in the UK now
The Forgotten Battle is an appropriate, if somewhat unassuming, name for the intense and tragic struggle its 124-minute runtime showcases. Set during the little-known Allied assault on the German-controlled Scheldt estuary, it tells the story of three individuals caught up in the events leading to the bloody Battle of Walcheren Causeway.
Dutchman-turned-nazi soldier Marinus van Staveren (Gijs
Blom) faces an inner conflict of loyalty as he helps enable the collaborationist forces oppressing his occupied country. Meanwhile, Teuntje Visser (Susan Radder) finds herself reluctantly thrust into the Dutch Resistance as the Allies draw closer to Zeeland. Then there is British glider pilot Sergeant Will Sinclair (Jamie Flatters), who, along with his comrades, including Captain Tony Turner (Tom Felton), is about to participate in the infamous Operation Market Garden.
Things go badly almost immediately for Will and the airborne soldiers aboard the Airspeed Horsa glider when it is struck by anti-aircraft fire and, as a result, is forced to crash land. Hearing the screams of ‘brace!’ and watching from the cockpit as the ground seemingly hurtles towards the screen is certainly a tense, horrifying and visually spectacular cinematic moment. The survivors, now caught behind enemy lines, traipse through a treacherous and unforgiving landscape to regroup with Allied forces.
Despite a few unnecessary scenes from the British perspective, not least the beginnings of a story arc that leads nowhere, the plot is sturdy as it ventures into the flooded countryside and communities around the Scheldt estuary. Seamlessly cutting between the main characters in a style akin to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, each separate tale compels as the stakes become ever higher. Indeed, such is the superb immersion that the transitions between three languages (English, German and Dutch) are seldom noticed.
A series of twists and turns eventually lead to Will joining up with a unit from the First Canadian Army, culminating in an excellently choreographed battle scene that is a fitting recognition of Canada’s contribution to the Allied war effort. Deft camera work here lends itself to the claustrophobic feel of mud-coated soldiers clambering between the fallen while facing relentless enemy resistance. At the same time, on the other side of the wire and sandbags, you feel the pressure mounting for Marinus and the German defenders who know they cannot allow the Allies to gain any more ground. It is a testament to Matthijs van Heijningen Jr’s directing that you care about what happens on both sides of the causeway, a quality that is both refreshing and somehow simultaneously unsettling.
Nevertheless, those expecting non-stop action will, perhaps, be disappointed because, like Dunkirk, the focus is the human aspect of conflict over the conflict itself. Gritty though The Forgotten
Battle might be on occasions, its heart lies in how the characters’ lives collide, which doesn’t happen – at least not in full – until near the end of the film. It is worth the wait, however, as the drawing together of three parallel narratives is a journey that never ceases to engage.