Diep (2005)

A story about the 14 year old Heleen who makes the transition of child to adult with pain and effort in the wild 70s. While her parents going to divorce she is exploring the world of sex, drugs and love on her own.

Director:

Simone van Dusseldorp

Writers:

Tamara Bos (scenario), Hendrickje Spoor (novel)

Stars:

Tjeerd Bischoff, Hunter Bussemaker, Marcel Faber

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tjeerd Bischoff	...	NVSH arts
Hunter Bussemaker	...	Bernard
Marcel Faber	...	Han - minnaar Quinta
Monic Hendrickx	...	Quinta
Damien Hope	...	Steve
Melody Klaver	...	Heleen
Bart Klever	...	Clemens
Stijn Koomen	...	Axel
Hadewych Minis	...	Ilona
Tommy Parker	...	Kraker
Sunsy Pasay	...	Natascha
Jorik Scholten	...	Emile
Koen Segers	...	Vriend Natascha
Michael Tijsterman	...	Kraker Bob
Waldemar Torenstra	...	Bakker Jan

Storyline

A story about the 14 year old Heleen who makes the transition of child to adult with pain and effort in the wild 70s. While her parents going to divorce she is exploring the world of sex, drugs and love on her own.

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Plot Keywords:

teenage girl in swimwear | teenage girl in underwear

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch English French

Release Date:

10 November 2005 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

De oversteek: Diep

Filming Locations:

Aerdenhout, Bloemendaal, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company Credits

Production Co:

CoBo Fonds, Het Thuiskopieerfonds, IJswater Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References Turkish Delight (1973)

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Soundtracks

"Step"
Composer, Lyrics and Vocals by David van der Heyden
Guitar: Mark van der Mate and Robin Hancock
Bass: Jeroen Mol
Drums: Robert Buisman
Recorded and mixed at Avalanche Studio
Thanks to Willy Berevoets and Mark van der Mate

User Reviews

"Coming of age" drama where nothing really happens

Heleen is 14 years old. She has a brother. Her parents split up and each embark on unwise liaisons which fail to make them happy. Sadly, that's about it. The film takes 90 ponderous minutes to tell this story, from Heleen's viewpoint.

Ostensibly, this is supposed to be about the girl's sexual awakening, but, really, there is so little growth in any of the characters that we can hardly call it a coming-of-age story. More like a creeping along of age story. It has many familiar elements - girl finds holiday romance with dusky European with beautiful eyes - in this case, brooding Bernard, the French boy, who, inevitably, tries to grope her behind the bike sheds in the campsite (literally) and is consigned to summer oblivion. Girl also finds bad boy Steve fascinating in his brooding intense (drug fuelled) solitude. Think of a Nietche-spouting James Dean for the 1970s but looking more like Ronan Keating.

Then there is the horny friend / come boyfriend, Axel, (complete with stereotypical pimples) who just wants to get his end away with virginal schoolchum Heleen, and therefore is content to accept the advance planning of a New YEar's party in order to achieve his own Nirvana.

The end of the movie is a mess. The New Year's party starts to look interesting with a group of decidedly non-conforming punk teens inhabiting the father's former office building (he has been relocated to Maastricht - Freud, get your talons into THAT one.....father figure transmogrifies into hedonist orgy etc etc). However, Steve zones out after one injection too many, Heleen doesn't get the sexual fireworks from pimply boyfriend Axel or bad-boy Steve and has to make do with the traditional gunpowder variety. Then, inexplicably, they go home and have sex anyway on the sofa. The lesson? I'm not sure there is one, except maybe that sex is inevitable as a teenager, and that parents let you down eventually.

At times, vaguely reminiscent of Catherine Breillat's themes but only as a poor parody, this movie is full of arty hand-held camera shots that fail to illuminate any important angle of this familiar storyline, and instead leave us pondering why the director appears to have chosen to frame the characters' neck jewellery as a recurring motif. There is a Chinese proverb: "Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect." That's probably about as close as you will get.