Will starts with the protagonist joining the Auxiliary police force in 1942 in Antwerp during Nazi occupation. During the final act of the Netflix film, Wil must decide between collaborating with the Nazis to stay alive and helping the resistance, which would surely lead to his death. The film’s ending is defined by his decision to collaborate for his own sake, sacrificing his morality in the process.
Will Ending Explained
After he drunkenly blurbs out the location of the Feldgendarm’s body in front of a bar full of German soldiers, Wil wakes up at home slightly worse for wear. He goes to Yvette at the butcher’s shop, who reminds him how dangerous the previous night’s behavior was. She’s also upset about him abandoning her when the Nazi was forcing her to dance.
Later that day, Gregor summons Wil to further interrogate him about the murder. As it turns out, Gregor and his men used the excuse of the Feldgendarm’s death to torture the former police captain, Jean. While Wil doesn’t incriminate anyone, Gregor is willing to let him go for now. However, he urges Wil to pick a side.
Wil’s troubles grow larger when he goes to the house where he’s been hiding the Jewish family. Verschaffel is already there, and he uncovered Wil’s secret. The former mentor demands Wil take his gun and kill the family.
Who kills Verschafell?
However, Wil doesn’t have much time to think before Myriam pounces and stabs Verschafell to death with a piece of glass. Will helps his new friends hide the body.
The following day, Wil and Lode take Myriam and her family to the train station, where they safely board a train out of Antwerp. To celebrate this small victory, Wil, Lode, and Yvette get together for a few drinks.
Yet this isn’t the type of movie that allows nice things. Soon enough, Gregor summons Wil again and reveals his men captured the family before they even made it to Brussels.
What does Gregor want from Wil?
The Nazis captured the Professor, who made them fake passports, and he immediately betrayed Wil, Lode, and Yvette. Gregor reveals he knew what Wil has been up to from the start. He offers Wil and his family safety in exchange for giving the Resistance fake information on upcoming raids.
Wil takes this proposal to Yvette, but she doesn’t even hesitate to give him an answer. She would rather die than betray the Resistance. Unsurprisingly, Wil gives her the fake location anyway but lets her think he’s telling her the truth.
Does Wil become a Nazi collaborator?
On the night of the raid, Wil collaborates with the other officers as they remove people from their homes and force them into trucks. When Wil and Lode knock on one apartment door, they find the residents chose to end their own lives instead of going to the concentration camps.
As he’s placing two young children inside the truck, Wil notices a horrified Yvette watching him from a distance. He chases her to the train tracks, where he’s forced to helplessly watch as she jumps in front of a train.
How does Will end?
The film ends with Wil’s voiceover noting how the only thing to do when something so horrid happens is to move on. There’s no other choice.
What did you think of the ending of Wil? Comment below.
