De vuurlinie

It is a well written story which is a combination of stories of Dutch Afghanistan veterans and Dutch distinguished special forces major Marco Kroon in particular. At the beginning of the movie it is stated that the story is based on facts as well as fiction and this makes up for a great and thought-provoking watch.

The acting by the lead actors Waldemar Torenstra (Marco Kroon) and Sallie Harmsen (Mirjam van den Hoven) was good and in my opinion very believable.

Major Kroon has been distinguished with the Netherlands' greatest military award "Militaire Willemsorde" but despite this honor he has been pretty controversial. This movie shows mainly the other side of the story that the media doesn't highlight where he and his family go through difficult times which is very understandable considering the circumstances. I did like it that they didn't portray Kroon as the perfect superhero either, but in the end nobody is perfect.

A couple of military details weren't correct, this is a bit annoying for someone with a military background and with a bit more research wouldn't have been necessary. A couple of examples: saluting inside, incorrectly wearing the baret, counting two stars for the captain rank instead of three, a military psychologist working in a bunker of sorts, incorrect procedures while driving and using their personal weapon, the commander of the armed forces working from a big mansion etc. Small details for the average viewer, but important for military personnel all over the world.

These flaws didn't let the story down. A story most importantly about veterans and their family and the experience they go through. I would recommend it!