"I never thought I would dread Liberation Day"

Rating: 7/10 (28 March 2019)

There's been many World War II films and a good chunk of them involve the Holocaust in some way, shape, or form, but Black Book feels very much like its own original thing. Starring Melisandre herself, Carice van Houten, as Ellis de Vries, a Jewish singer who navigates herself through the hands of the Nazi's while doing her best to assist the Dutch Resistance. Though it's inspired by true events, the amount of twists, turns, and betrayals feel like something out of a spy film. Which, I guess, in a way very much fits the aesthetic and approach they take to this World War II film. There's a great sense of journey for van Houten's character, though I do feel like a further attention to geographic detail would have been nice. In all, this is a harrowing film that shows a side to World War II that I'm not sure we've seen before.
7.5/10