Renée Soutendijk Movies

Two brothers who haven't spoken in years discover there are a great many things they don't know about each other in this dark drama. Luc (Jaap Spijkers) and his wife Mieke (Camilla Siegertsz) live in the Netherlands, where they were born and raised. Fifteen years before, Luc's brother Ad (Jack Wouterse) mysteriously disappeared, and no one has heard from him since, but one day Luc gets a surprising phone call informing him that Ad is alive and well and living in Belgium. Luc and Mieke quickly travel to Belgium to see Ad, though Mieke has some misgivings, since she's pregnant and due to give birth in a matter of weeks. Luc and Mieke discover than Ad and his wife Els (Renee Soutendijk) live in a tiny cottage in the woods, cut off from the world, and Ad has no particular interest in explaining what he's been doing for the fast decade and a half. Frustrated and wary of Ad and Els' shabby living conditions, Mieke soon returns home, but Luc stays on, hoping to rebuild his bridges with his brother. Time seems to only aggravate long-standing tensions between the brothers, which is not eased by the increasing rapport between Luc and Els. Before long, Luc begins hearing strange noises in the basement under Ad's hovel, and he discovers that Ad and Els have been hiding a terrible secret -- a deformed, almost feral boy who is kept in a cage like a wild animal. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A woman finds that her life is radically changed in a number of ways after a bout with cancer. Corinna (Renee Soutendijk) is a 38-year-old commercial artist and single mother who is happy with her life; her career is going well, her children are happy and healthy, and she's found a boyfriend who makes her happy. However, Corinna finds her contented existence turned upside-down when she discovers a malignant tumor in one breast and undergoes a mastectomy. Her boyfriend soon leaves her, and Corinna finds herself wondering about her future (and her kids' future as well) and if she'll still be attractive to men. The latter question begins to answer itself when she finds that two men are vying for her attentions. But while her new neighbor (Huub Stapel) seems interested in Corinna for her own sake, a good friend (Hans-Werner Meyer) takes a new interest in her and proposes marriage -- largely so her children will have a home should she fall ill again. Originally produced for German television, Hauptsache Leben was well-received on its home turf, where Renee Soutendijk earned enthusiastic notices for her performance as Corinna. The film received its American premiere at the 1999 Hollywood Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A professional woman falls in love with a potentially murderous neighbor in her apartment building in this gripping Dutch thriller. Roos, a divorcee doctor with a young son, has just moved into her ultra-modern apartment beside the sea. One of her first visitors is Eric, an attractive copywriter who shares his suspicions that fellow tenant and housekeeper for Roos may be in danger. Sure enough, the housekeeper is found murdered in her apartment. Meanwhile, Roos is being harassed by an obscene caller. Unbeknownst to her, she is also being spied upon by a binocular toting peeper. Eric becomes buddies with her son Davy. Soon he tries to buddy up to her, and despite the warnings of other tenants, finds herself equally attracted to him. Eric is arrested as a suspect for the housekeeper's murder and also on the suspicion that he killed his wife and Roos begins to feel paranoid. Her fear increases when another woman in the building is found strangled. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

It seems that misdeeds by inhabitants of the Dutch provinces make for believable stories, whether they are mysteries by Willem van de Wettering, or psychological thrillers by Simon Vestdijk, who wrote the book this film is based on. In the story, set in the 1950s, Hendrik Grond (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) has a good law practice, and a happy marriage which has produced a son. He is so contented that his world is completely shattered when, undetected, he catches his wife in bed with his law firm's senior partner. In fact, he has become quietly unhinged, and he arranges a series of "accidents" to ensure his revenge - becoming involved in the local underworld in the process. Will he succeed in committing a series of "perfect" crimes, or will the police inspector (Johan Simons) investigating these incidents get wise? ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this provocative drama, the young son of a Holocaust survivor searches for the answers to many painful questions about the great tragedy when he is cast as Hungarian-Jewish poet Miklos Radnoti for an upcoming film. The young man is a Method actor and as he researches his role he becomes so engrossed in the life of the poet, who was killed in a Jewish labor camp, that he begins to lose his identity. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Martin (Marius Muller Westernhagen) is an Australian tourist forced to land in Hamburg in this routine thriller. He is mistaken for a notorious hitman and is pursued by the authorities. With help from the darling Dutch woman Juliane (Renee Soutendjik), the two are chased through the city by the thugs and the law. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The two-part King of the Olympics was released during the 1988 Summer Olympic games. David Selby stars as Avery Brundage, the 19th century sports enthusiast who spearheaded the movement to revive the Olympic games in modern times. We all know the outcome, so there's really no necessity to sit through the film's wearisome four hours. For the record, Part One of King of the Olympics finds Brundage running up against obstacle after obstacle in realizing his dream--and wooing and winning several young ladies along the way. So, for that matter, does Part Two. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Polish political melodrama examines the days leading up to the German invasion of Poland and centers upon two newlyweds. The husband is Uruguayan and comes from German-English parents. The woman is British. They have come to Poland to do some family business and end up visiting a good friend's country estate. There the woman is thrown from a horse and is critically wounded. Though her body heals, her mind is damaged. Her husband's cruelty toward her makes matters worse. The husband then learns that his factory is working with Germany as it plans a Polish invasion. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

aka: Flies in the Light Although it is stylistically developed and refined, this thriller does not live up to its name since any "thrills" are sacrificed for the look and feel of B-movies in moods, sets, and camerawork. The plot wanders around in several directions at once but in a general sense, it is motivated by a pricey painting and those who would like to own it. A sophisticated art thief steals this painting from display in an art gallery and then has to turn around and steal it away from the site of a religious cult. Set up to recall mystery thrillers like The Maltese Falcon, Motten im Licht is a good formal imitation but would need a Dashiell Hammett to bring it up to par. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The first victory in The Second Victory is the Allied triumph in World War II. British major Anthony Andrews, in charge of the occupation troops in a remote Austrian village, must deal with the uncooperative attitude of the locals when one of his men is killed by a deranged Axis soldier. Andrews also pursues a romantic involvement with Birgit Doll, the niece of crooked lawyer Max Von Sydow. The lawyer kills himself when his crimes are revealed, whereupon Birgit, heretofore the only "sympathetic" villager in the film, turns on Andrews, holding the Major responsible for her uncle's death. We strongly suspect that the title The Second Victory was meant to be ironic: Nobody wins in this one. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Set in 1941 in Amsterdam, this is a story of humanity -- specifically, Otto (Gerard Thoolen) the Jewish owner of an ice-cream shop, his best friend Gustav (Bruno Ganz), and his friend Trudi (Renee Soutendijk) -- facing the dangers of an escalating war and the specter of fascism. The outgoing, fun-loving Otto came to Amsterdam from Berlin, and while his shop is a focus for anti-Nazi activists, Otto also cares about making good ice cream and supplying his customers with the best pastries he can manage. When his friend Gustav is on leave from the army for awhile, he spends some time with Otto and falls in love with Otto's friend Trudi. As conditions and the environment around them fluctuate and change, the three friends react differently. But it is certain that Otto's gatherings of anti-Nazi activists are not going to be unnoticed for long -- and whether he is fully aware of it or not, the prognosis is not good.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi