9. april (Roni Ezra, 2015)

April 9th tells the story of Denmark's six-hour capitulation to the German invasion in 1940, told from the perspective of a platoon on the border who put up a spirited resistance against overwhelming odds, only to learn after the event that their government already gave up hours before they had to surrender. Due to its reverential adherence to historical facts, there is little in the way of the heroic cliches of most war films, and the characters into a sense of emasculated betrayal as defeat comes so soon. This is clearly meant to mirror the overall mood of the nation at the time about the event, and it conveys this effectively for outsiders. The few skirmish scenes are also unflashily and tautly shot, and the platoon, while having its usual strong leader, sullen tough guy and nervous youth, is still nuanced enough to avoid being a collection of outright stereotypes. It's not amongst the greats of the genre, but nevertheless thoughtfully told.

6/10