Frans van Gestel Movies

Set in 1983, this Dutch crime thriller from director Maarten Treurniet dramatizes events surrounding the notorious kidnapping of beer mogul Alfred Heineken (here played by Rutger Hauer). When several hotheaded criminals with a serious grudge against the wealthy entrepreneur decide to abduct him with a demand for 35 million Dutch guilders, a vicious power struggle ensues, followed by Heineken's revenge against the perpetrators. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Director Paula van der Oest teams with screenwriter Greg Latter to tell the inspirational story of Ingrid Jonker, the volatile South African poet whose insatiable passion has drawn frequent comparisons to Sylvia Plath, and whose remarkable talents inspired hope at the height of the struggle against apartheid. Cape Town, South Africa: the 1960s. Free-spirited Ingrid Jonker (Carice van Houten) is fighting to recover from a recent breakdown in Amsterdam as she searches for the words to express her inner turmoil. Meanwhile, her inability to experience true love plunges her into a series of tempestuous affairs, and her defiant opposition to the injustice of apartheid puts her at odds with her stern father (Rutger Hauer), who's also the Minister of Censorship . Later, Jonker witnesses a tragedy that scars her soul while writing the poetry that will touch the hearts of millions. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A prosecutor at a tribunal in the Hague attempts to convince a potential witness to testify in a crucial case against the man accused of deporting and killing Bosnian-Muslim civilians in a small town now known as the Republika Srpska in this tense courtroom drama from director Hans-Christian Schmid. Hannah Maynard is determined to make Goran Duric pay for his crimes against humanity. Her case is complicated, however, when a key witness in the trial becomes ensnared by the contradictions of his own testimony. In order to gain a better understanding of the facts of the case, the court sends a delegation to Bosnia, where the suspicions regarding the reliability of the witness are quickly confirmed. When the witness commits suicide, it begins to appear as if Duric will walk free. Now, Hannah's last hope of keeping the case alive is to travel to the witnesses' funeral in Sarajevo. There, Hannah comes into contact with the witnesses' sister Mira, who seems to know more about the defendant than she readily admits. Hannah works hard to gain Mira's trust, eventually convincing the girl to face her fears of the past and testify in the Hague. When Duric's defense team attempts to have Mira's testimony disallowed and finds their efforts unexpectedly supported by the members of the judiciary, Hannah realizes that her greatest adversaries aren't necessarily at the docks, but standing right beside her in the courtroom every day. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A boy growing up with a family of Flemish slobs learns more than his elders imagined they were capable of teaching in this purposefully rude comedy drama. Gunther Strobbe (Kenneth Vanbaeden) is 13 years old and living with his father, Marcel (Koen De Graeve), his three uncles (Bert Haelvoet, Johan Heldenbergh and Wouter Hendrickx), and his grandmother (Gilda De Bal). You would think that Gunther has more than enough adult role models in his life, but the Strobbes are not an ordinary family; Marcel works part-time as a letter carrier, though the fact there are several bars on his route makes getting the work done a challenge, while his brothers are booze-addled layabouts who sponge off their mother, who is too sweet to deny them her meager pension. Gunther loves his family, but they often seem more like seedy playmates than authority figures, as the men in the house spend their days gulping down beer and sausage, breaking things, playing rude pranks on others, and chasing women, often with hilarious but embarrassing consequences. Years later, Gunther has launched a career as a writer, is married, and is expecting a son; suddenly frightened by the new responsibilities that await him, Gunther seeks out Marcel and his brothers for some advice on fatherhood, a subject one might not imagine is one of their strong suits. Directed by Felix Van Groeningen, De Helaasheid der Dingen (aka The Misfortunates) was adapted from the novel by Dimitri Verhulst. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A generation of young adults ponder their friendships, loves, expectations, and life ambitions while wandering the streets of a city that evolves at a faster rate than they mature in Dutch director David Verbeek's three-tiered look at life in the contemporary Chinese city of Shanghai. The first tale, a melancholy meditation on lost love, follows intelligent country-boy Xu Yu as the object of his affections drifts away after becoming enamored by the world of the nouveau riche and moving into a wealthy new district. Later, night owl hipsters Jenny and her boyfriend Calvin, a popular nightclub DJ, are troubled to learn just how temporary and vulnerable their vapid lifestyle truly is. The final story follows Dutch architect Jochem as he relocates to Shanghai and becomes enamored with an elegant and ambitious beauty named Zhang Yi. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Actress Ayca Damgaci first met fellow thespian Hama Ali Khan when they were working on a movie together. The two quickly fell in love, and what first seemed like an on-set romance soon proved to be something much deeper. However, Ayca was from Turkey and Hama was an Iraqi Kurd, and as U.S. forces were poised to invade his homeland, he was unable to come to Istanbul to see her. Instead, Hama began sending Ayca a series of video letters in which he proclaimed his love for her while offering a portrait of the tension and violence that was sweeping through Iraq. Deeply moved by his videos, Ayca decided to throw caution to the wind and travel to Iraq to be with the man she loved. However, as American forces marched into Iraq, getting into the country proved impossible, and she found herself stranded near the Iraqi border in a village that seemed utterly alien to her. When Ayca finally was able to contact Hama, they decided to meet in Iran, and she found herself once again searching for her love in a strange land where she knew no one and understood precious little around her. Ayca Damgaci re-enacts the adventure of her ill-fated romance with Hama Ali Khan in Gitmek (aka My Marlon and Brando), a romantic drama based on her true story, with Hama appearing in the videos he shot for her. My Marlon and Brando was screened in competition at the 2008 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A brush with death forces a man to come to terms with his family in this drama. Alex (Fedja van Huet) is a photographer who is still dealing with the emotional scars of his troubled adolescence, as well as the suicide of his father. Alex hasn't heard from his twin brother Aram (also played by van Huet) in years when he receives an unexpected call, with Aram informing him that their mother is dying and that he should come to the family estate, known as Amnesia, at his soonest convenience. Alex and his girlfriend Sandra (Carice van Houten) arrive at Amnesia to discover that his mother Eva (Sacha Bulthuis) is drinking heavily and in rapidly failing health; while petty criminal Aram has been hiding out at Amnesia after a run-in with the law, he hasn't been handling affairs especially well, and Alex steps in to take care of Eva and mind the house. As Alex deals with Eva's illness and his issues with his brother, he finds himself thinking of traumatic events from his childhood, putting long-buried emotions into a newly keen focus. Amnesia was the first feature film from writer and director Martin Koolhoven. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Inspired by Taiwanese directors Tsai Ming-liang and Hou Hsiao Hsien, co-directors Fow Pyng Hu and Brat Ljatifi spin this understated tale about Chinese immigrants torn between two cultures. Jacky (played by director Hu) is a railway beverage vendor in his 20s who has had every major decision chosen by someone else or by external factors. When his authoritarian mother arranges a bride to be shipped over from China for him to marry, he consents with no resistance. When his mom decides that his young wife Chi Chi (Eveline Wu) is not up to snuff, he passively lets judgement be passed. Nonetheless, when Chi Chi injures her foot, he shows her warmth and attention. This film was screened at the 2000 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi