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When it comes to cinema, the Netherlands has a comparatively small output with regard to other Western nations. This became such an apparent issue that in 2001 an award was introduced that would be given as long as the film garnered a certain attendance. However, this does not mean to say that Dutch films are in any way lesser when compared to other European films. Thus in this issue of Around The World In 40 Films we shall be examining what has been voted the best Dutch film of all time (Turks Fruit) as well as their current hope for Oscar glory (Oorlogswinter).
Director: Paul Verhoven
Turks Fruit is an odd film, essentially about a relationship and its failings. However, it also features more sex then any film I have ever seen, apart from perhaps Verhoven’s later work Basic Instinct.
Verhoven’s films are known for their sex and violence and Turks Fruit is no exception. Indeed the film opens with a brutal double murder, which is then revealed to be the protagonist Eric's fantasy. Eric is completely obsessed with sex, thinking of little else throughout the film, and seems to have the maturity of a five year-old. Yet it is made clear that Eric suffers greatly from bitterness and regret, before the film moves backwards two years to show the tale of how he met, fell in love and married Olga, the woman he dreamed of killing at the beginning. However, Eric’s obsession and the perfectly understandable distaste for Olga’s mother drive them apart. Returning to the present, they both meet again in a part of the film that is actually remarkably touching, particularly considering that it is hard to sympathise with any of the major characters.
The film significantly benefits from Verhoven’s direction, which makes it seem very surreal at places to compensate for the vast amount of nudity, and allows for the viewers' sympathy at the end. Overall the film is considerably flawed, however the skilled direction and its unique nature makes for an interesting, enjoyable and surprisingly touching experience.
Director: Martin Koolhoven
Although yet to find a release in Britain, Oorlogswinter (rough translation: Winter In Wartime) has been the recipient of much fanfare in the Netherlands with it actually out-grossing both Twilight and The Dark Knight.
The story itself is a simple one that tells of the Dutch resistance movement in World War II with the entire film actually taking place over one winter during the Nazi occupation. The central focus is Michiel, the young son of the local mayor who discovers an English pilot who has crash-landed in the woods and attempts to keep him safe from the Germans. With this runs the parallel storyline of Michiel’s dismissive relationship with his father, a mayor who attempts to keep the occupying force friendly so as to protect the town, which is juxtaposed with his idolatry of his resistance-fighter uncle.
While the film may sound cut-and-dry and a bit predictable there are a significant number of twists and developments that actually elevate it from a kid’s film, a marketing strategy that makes zero sense after you actually watch it. Also of note is the beautifully executed cinematography which uses the winter setting, most specifically the bountiful supply of snow, as a means to compliment the seeming bleakness of it all but still underlies the promise that spring will one day return.
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