ZUSJE
[LITTLE SISTER]
A film review by Martyn Winkler
Copyright 1996 Martyn Winkler
***1/2 (out of ****)
Zusje premiered in 1995 at the Dutch Film Festival. This low budget, independent movie surprised all the festival's visitors and managed to win the Golden Calf for Best Picture, bypassing favorites such as Antonia's Line. To make things worse, it had broken many unwritten rules in the Dutch film industry. First, Zusje was shot and edited on video, and later blown up to 35 mm film. Secondly, the film's financing did not come from the Dutch Film Fund. Normally this would mean an immediate death for the project. The young makers of Zusje managed, though, to raise a sufficient amount of money and successfully submitted it to the Dutch Film Festival.
In many ways Zusje is innovating and daring. The entire film was shot from the point of view of one of the main characters: Martijn (played by Maarten Zomer, voice over by Hugo Metsers Jr., cinematography by Bert Pot). He enters his sister's life (Daantje, played by Kim van Kooten) with a camcorder, stating he wants to make a documentary about her. She is surprised to see him, and hesitates to let him in her apartment. After Martijn has passed through her front door, we start learning about her life, her friends, and her interests. Her boyfriend does not appreciate Martijn's snooping around in his personal life. A rivalry between the two young men arises, both wanting Daantje for themselves. Martijn plays a foul game trying to win Daantje's heart again.
The relationship between brother and sister is not without friction, but Daantje is fascinated and controlled by her brother, and cannot let go of him. Their ambivalent behavior towards each other hints to a traumatic event in the past, which is gradually revealed to us during the film. In the end Martijn wants to be able to look at Daantje without using a camcorder.
Zusje is a fast-paced film, giving an accurate depiction of life among young adults in Amsterdam. The director, Robert Jan Westdijk, has a gift of telling a story without unnecessary details. The acting is of a surprising high level, with one actor standing out. Roeland Fernhout is brilliant as Ramon, Daantje's boyfriend, adding charming, hilarious, and three dimensional traits to this character. The cinematography is excellent. It is well lighted and utilizes a very 'naturalistic' handling. It is not for the squeamish, though. After the 90 minutes some might feel slightly nauseated by the fast swerving and turning of the camera.
The makers of Zusje have succeeded in producing a contemporary movie. It is a reflection of today's fast-paced world and the importance of television and video. When Daantje threatens to destroy Martijn's videotapes, he pleadingly responds: "Don't do it. Don't you understand? If you destroy them, everything might as well not have happened." In todays world, something only exists if it has been caught on videotape.
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