Gaston's War is based on the well-known novel by Allan Mayer, and directed by Flemish director Robbe De Hert (who also directed Blueberry Hill, another period-flick). The film is supposed to be the real life story of a young Flemish resistance fighter called Gaston Vandermeerssche. He was in the underground-resistance movement during the German occupation of Belgium. The film stars off pretty tense, but starts to lose it's momentum toward the end. The narrative sometimes feels a bit shoddy, but that is no surprise when one considers the fact that director De Hert had a big bust-up with his producers about the final cut. Unfortunately the film suffers from this quarrel. The final cut feels like a 'compromise' between two visions, which is a shame, because with a bit more tweaking, this film could have truly been great. Now it merely is a flawed, but all together a satisfying Flemish film.
