The Forgotten Battle – Review
One of the war movies I was eager to see was The Forgotten Battle, which is airing on Netflix. It deals with part of the liberation of Holland, which the Canadians were mostly involved in. As a Canadian, this is of particular interest to me.
When I say that it is war movie, that doe not mean that the movie is primarily about battles. There is a major battle at the end, but it is much more than that. It really is a character piece. The three main characters are a Dutch girl who gets pulled into the resistance, a Dutch boy who had been fighting in the German army and a British glider pilot. Their stories run parallel for most of the movie until they eventually intersect near the end.
One of the things I really appreciated was the emphasis on the Canadians (although none of the main characters are Canadian). Some people seem to think that only the British and Americans fought the Germans. The Canadians were heavily involved right from the Normandy landings to the defeat of Germany.
The movie was excellent. The acting and special effects were top notch. The movie is in English, Dutch and German, which adds to the realism of the movie. It does not glorify war but does portray the heroism that often emerges in war. These are believable characters.
The movie highlights the messiness of war, the shifting of perspective and the need to eventually take a stand. No one in this movie is perfect, just as none of us are in real life. The movie challenges us to see ourselves in these characters.
I very much enjoyed the Forgotten Battle. I especially recommend it for Canadians but all those interested in the Second World War should appreciate this movie.
