Halina Reijn Movies
A native of Amsterdam, born in 1975, versatile actress Halina Reijn attended the Maastrict Theatre Academy in the Netherlands and broke through to substantial acclaim courtesy of Job Gosschalk, a casting director who witnessed her in a play and introduced her to Dutch theatrical impresario Theu Boermans. Subsequent years found Reijn honing her craft on the stage (initially under the tutelage of Boermans), in productions such as Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (as Nina) and Hamlet (as Ophelia). She moved into television in the early '90s and entered film around the tail end of that decade; early features that starred Reijn were predominantly Dutch outings with exposure confined to western Europe, though she scored a major international success as the second female lead (after Carice van Houten) in Paul Verhoeven's World War II thriller Zwartboek (2006), and in 2008 joined Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, and others as Margarethe van Oven in United Artists' Hitler assassination drama Valkyrie. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Dutch filmmaker Paula van der Oest spins this frothy comedy about the ends to which three sisters would go to keep possession of the family's summer home in Portugal. When their 32-year-old brother, Nino, announces his engagement with his younger girlfriend, Bo, his three siblings react not with congratulatory happiness but with shocked indignation instead. For one thing, Nino was gay for most of his teens and twenties; and another, if he gets married then he inherits the summer villa. The three sisters are united by two traits: they each have vivid interior fantasy worlds -- often involving having sex with the other's husbands -- and they each dream of retiring to Portugal. Starving artist Wanda wants to open a gallery there, while writer Sonja dreams of living there with her husband. Michelle, the eldest, wants to flee her hectic domestic life as a housewife and mother to open a home for war orphans. Together, they cheerfully connive to undermine the engagement, as Bo invites them to Portugal to help plan the wedding. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Poorta, Anneke Blok, (more)
Frank Van Passel's adaptation of William Elsschot's novella Villa des Roses stars Julie Delpy. Delpy is a French maid who works at a home for the poor and unfortunate. She becomes pregnant, and is forced to risk a dangerous abortion. The director employed digital effects to help create the elaborate visual design of the film. Villa des Roses was screened at the Hollywood Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Delpy, Shaun Dingwall, (more)
Written and directed by Alex van Warmerdam, Grimm is an absurdist, decidedly black take on the Hansel and Gretel story. Set in modern day Holland, Grimm centers around siblings Marie (Halina Reijn) and Jacob (Jacob Derwig), who were sent to the forest under the pretext of gathering firewood while, unbeknownst to them, their impoverished family left for parts unknown. Before long, Marie and Jacob learn of their abandonment; all that is left from their parents is a brief note advising them to go to Spain and take up residence with their uncle. The first setback comes in the form of a smarmy farmer (Frank Lammers) who forces Jacob to have sex with his obese wife (Annet Malherbe). Shortly afterwards, Marie turns to prostitution, but Jacob intervenes before she goes too far. Eventually, the siblings find a moped and take off for Spain -- only to find out that their uncle has died. When a wealthy surgeon (Carmelo Gomez) falls for Marie, the broke siblings' prospects seem to be looking up once gain. Unfortunately for them, the ultimate consequence of Marie's quickie marriage is nothing either of them would have imagined. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Halina Reijn, Jacob Derwig, (more)
Filmmaker Paul Verhoeven returned to the Netherlands after more than twenty years of success in Hollywood to direct this epic-scale war drama based on a true story. Rachel Steinn (Carice van Houten) is a beautiful Jewish woman living in German-occupied Holland during late 1944. Her family members - who have been falsely promised safe passage to Belgium (their names recorded in the 'black book' of the title) are instead robbed and slaughtered by the Germans on a premeditated basis; Rachel herself manages to escape by diving into the water and swimming away. She narrowly avoids capture, then joins the local resistance movement. With her hair dyed blonde, Rachel can easily pass for Aryan, and when the leader of the Dutch resistance movement learns his son has been captured by Axis forces, Rachel is asked to use her feminine charms to persuade a German commander to arrange for the boy's release. Rachel soon finds herself caught up in a dangerous double life as she becomes a sexual plaything for the Nazis while attempting to bring down their evil empire as a spy. Zwartboek was written by Verhoeven and Gerard Soeteman, who collaborated on the 1977 international success Soldier of Orange. Zwartboek received its world premier at the 2006 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, (more)
- 2006
Four ten year-old friends are forced to think out of the box in order to win back access to their favorite playground in this short film from director Jelmar Hufen. Two aggressive drunks have taken over the local playground, and when it becomes clear that the parents aren't going to help the kids enlist the aid of the neighborhood tough in hopes of driving out the alcoholic bullies. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruben van den Besselaar, Tom Schild, (more)
- 2007
Not to be confused with the 1987 Robert Benton-directed comedy thriller of the same name, this Nadine constitutes a grim, Dutch-language slice-of-life drama about a deeply confused woman. The Nadine in question (played, at various stages of her life, by Monic Hendrickx, Halina Reijn and Sanneke Bos) claims a tremendous amount of success in her career, but ultimately reaches the age of 42 and hears her biological clock ticking loudly away. One day, she cracks, and on impulse kidnaps the 7-month-old infant of a former boyfriend whom she runs into in the grocery store. Baby-in-tow, Nadine high-tails it to southern Europe; the presence of the infant fills her with unmitigated joy, but her conscience also checks in and demands that she return the child to its biological father. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monic Hendrickx, Sanneke Bos, (more)
- 2007
At a large country estate in the late 19th Century, a blind young man who rules his home through fear and intimidation clashes with the headstrong woman who has been hired to read to him and refuses to bend to his tyranny in director Tamar van den Drop's tempestuous period romance. Ruben (Joren Seldeslachts) lives in his family's sprawling country mansion along with his mother and the pair's substantial household staff. What he lacks in sight, Ruben more than makes up for in rage, and lately his tantrums have grown more threatening than ever. Arriving into Ruben's chaotic life of fear and bitterness is the emotionally scarred Marie (Halina Reijn). Marie loves books more than anything else, but believes herself to be physically repulsive as a result of her emotionally traumatic childhood. Reading to a blind man seems to be the perfect job for Marie since she won't have to be self-conscious about her looks. Yet despite her insecurities Marie is just as strong-willed as Ruben. Marie and Ruben are both outsiders, and as the winter rolls in Marie keeps turning the pages - her temperamental employer gradually warming to her soothing voice and soulful insight. Marie too begins to gain a profound affection for the misunderstood Ruben, but their unlikely bond is about to be challenged by the arrival of a doctor who claims that Ruben's sight can be restored thanks to breakthrough advances in modern science. Now, as Ruben begins to glow at the prospect of finally placing a face to the voice he holds so dear, Marie goes into a panic fearing that their love will die the moment he lays eyes on her. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Halina Reijn, Joren Seldeslachts, (more)
At the absolute height of World War II, German generals hatch a daring plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler and effectively render the German war machine impotent. Directed by Bryan Singer, Valkyrie stars Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the real-life mastermind behind the elaborate plot known as Project Valkyrie: a plan to assassinate Hitler and overthrow his government from the inside. Stauffenberg has been a loyal soldier and an asset to the Reich for his entire military career, but after losing an eye, a hand, and three fingers in an Allied bombing, he reaches a breaking point. The destructive madness that his country is unleashing on the world has become too terrible for the colonel to stand silent. He joins the resistance movement -- a treasonous act, punishable by death -- and risks his life and the life of his family for the chance to change history. Comprised of high-ranking officials working in secret, the German Resistance has access to the inner workings of the government and military, putting them in the perfect position to dispatch the dictator and then use his own official contingency plan to seize power -- before the army, the S.S., and loyal party members can put someone just as diabolical in the Führer's place. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, (more)
