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Reviews
Polder (2023)
Finally a Dutch film that is about something
After tons of weak romantic comedies Polder comes as a pleasant surprise. The film caused much commotion in Holland because it is set against a backdrop of a pig farm, a subject heavily debated these days because of the environmental issues surrounding these farms and the regulations the government is imposing. But Polder isn't actually about that. It is about two people whose lives become entangeld because the one (animal rights activist) and the other (pig farmer) have no dialogue between them. Painstakingly accurate is the representation of the mirrored lives both men lead. But is only us, the viewer, who know about how much these men have in common. The lack of true insight in the farmer's life causes Eric, the activist, to undertake actions that have far heavier consequences than he himself could anticipate. The distance 'social' media creates plays a part as wel, as Eric doesn't mind rallying other people against Ronald the farmer. The film is set like a play, only displaying the bare minimum of actors and locations, which makes this drama all the more compelling.
The Fox (2017)
Finally a break from Hollywood
When I saw this movie I felt an instant relief already after less then a minute. The cinematography is wonderful and the tempo is just perfect, not as fast as the standard dazzling Hollywood fifty changes a minute, yet certainly not as slow as some European films can be. Morgan C Jones, who plays the main character, Simon Fox, must have been a hidden gem, 'cause this guy gets you to like even his unlike-abilities. The story revolves around a new anti-privacy law ( know your current events!). The baddies are so desperate to get the voters on their side, they even take to false flag bombings to gain the publics trust. I love how the story simply unfolds in an increasingly more tense atmosphere when also the tempo picks up and the number of action scenes as well. Most Hollywood directors take to the easy way of blowing things up in slow-motion too early for the story to have developed, this one doesn't. You can't help but wanting to know what comes next and the pay-off is ...well, mysterious is the right word I guess. No spoilers here. Go see the film yourself to find out!
Patria (2014)
The true story of a Foreign Legion volunteer in ww1
A hundred years ago the worlds biggest meat grinder had it's sinister debut. A staggering amount of soldiers and civilians lost their lives in WW1. Patria is about the few volunteers in the Foreign Legion that came from neutral Holland. Considering France their second homeland, they were eager to enlist and join what was to be "A great war". In Patria it quickly becomes clear that it actually was a big disaster.
Patria is a refreshingly non-heroic story, taken from letters home, written by the protagonist Arthur Knaap. It adds to the charm that most events in the film truly happened. The emphasis might be on the character and his development from an intellectual, somewhat naive boy, to a hardened soldier, numbed by the loss of his friends, but there is quite a bit of very realistic action as well. Especially the scene where there's hand to hand combat in a German trench grabs you by the throat.
The makers must be History buffs, owing to the eye for detail, both in props as in small things, like the fact that every soldier is as dirty as the ground he fights for. Arthur died in the thirties from the results of gas poisoning. A hint to the rise of Hitler makes for a chilling last scene.
If you (like me) are growing tired of the shiny violin soaked patriotism of most ww1 movies, and you don't mind a film deviating from the beaten track, Patria is most definitely a must see.