Dirk Zeelenberg Movies
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)
An unlikely friendship is renewed under difficult circumstances in this comedy drama from the Netherlands. Simon (Cees Geel) is a loudmouthed but likable hash dealer who one day meets Camiel (Marcel Hensema), a soft-spoken aspiring dentist who nearly falls victim to Simon in an auto accident. Despite the circumstances of their meeting and the fact that straight Simon is a bit taken aback by Camiel's gay lifestyle, the two become good friends, but they have a falling out when Sharon (Rifka Lodeizen), Simon's girlfriend, decides to find out just how gay Camiel really is and ends up having sex with him. Simon and Camiel don't see one another for nearly 15 years until they have a chance meeting, and Camiel learns that his brash and burly friend has developed a serious brain tumor and has only a few months left to live. As Simon becomes a shadow of his former self, Camiel and their old circle of friends band together to offer him comfort in his final weeks. Written and directed by Eddy Terstall, Simon was the official Dutch entry for the Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 2005 Academy Awards. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cees Geel, Marcel Hensema, (more)
A strong-willed Dutch woman recalls her life in this uplifting picture that won the 1996 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy) is an elderly woman who wakes up one morning and realizes that this is the last day of her life. She begins to tell her story in flashback, beginning with her arrival home to the family farm after World War II with her daughter, Danielle (Els Dottermans). For the next fifty years, a variety of colorful characters come and go on the farm. Danielle becomes a painter, and decides she wants a child but no husband, so Antonia arranges the proper donation. Danielle giving birth to Therese (Veerle van Overloop), who laters has her own child, Sarah (Thyrza Ravesteijn), also without virtue of a husband. Antonia and her descendants come to symbolize the freedom of independent females, with little need for men in their lives. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willeke van Ammelrooy, Jan Decleir, (more)
