Duska (2007)

Director:

Jos Stelling

Writers:

Hans Heesen (writer)
Jos Stelling (writer)

Release Date:

4 October 2007 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An older film critic's life is interrupted by an unexpected visitor. |

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Gene Bervoets	...	Bob
Sylvia Hoeks	...	Girl
Sergei Makovetsky	...	Duska
Ruslana Pysanka

Also Known As:

Душка (Russia)
Dushka (Russia)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Netherlands | Russia | Ukraine

Language:

Dutch | Russian

Color:

Color

Certification:

Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Eyeworks Egmond

Trivia:

The Netherland's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Even though the film festival Bob has attended is set in the USSR somewhere before 1990, the cars shown in this flashback show modern Ukrainian number plates.

Duska

I got interested to see this movie because of its reviews, being a Dutch film, heard that it won some awards and the photography was good.

The story is about Bob (Gene Bervoets) a movie journalist – who spends lonely times seeing movies, staying alone opposite a movie theatre, writing on computer, drinking, eating and keeping his house in a mess – just a lazy tired life – hoping for something to happen. He eagerly longs for a girl (Sylvia Hoeks) working in the theatres, who one days ends up in Bob's apartment. Just at that moment there is a knock at the door and an old friend of Bob arrives – Duska (Sergei Makovetsky) from Russia. Bob tries hard to chase of Duska from his apartment and life, but does not succeed. Intercut - there is a flashback in the movie about how Bob met Duska in Russia. One day Duska leaves the house and Bob goes to Russia to search for him, and is left alone on a deserted village with his own fright. At last a bus arrives and Bob jumps in.

The Director Jos Stelling has made a movie after a gap of 4 years. He has his own style of movie making. There are minimal dialogues, but the flow of story goes on well. The movie deals with three characters and their emotions, which are captured perfectly. Jos is a thinking director and leaves lots of things for the audiences to imagine and understand.

I loved the movie because of its style and narrative. It was light and not heavy – like a recent Dutch movie I saw Wolfsbergen directed by Nanouk Leopold, which I found in a similar format and style was not so interesting.

The music was good. Cinematography excellent. Gene Bervoets, Sylvia Hoeks and Sergei Makovetsky have acted very well and remained in tight scripted roles that Director Jos wants them to narrate.

Good movies for people who want to see experimental cinema.

(Stars 6.5 out of 10)