A group of friends from the same regiment in Holland's army are going to serve a tour of duty in the Afghanistan conflict. Stella, has a double worry, her own husband, Jur, and her brother Twan, are among the soldiers in the mission. Stella, a young mother, keeps hoping the men will return alive. Unfortunately, her brother does not make it.
Trying to make sense of her own tragedy, Stella decides to question not only Jur, but the rest of the unit's comrades. She meets with staunch opposition, something that does not sit well with her. Stella begins to notice a big change in Jur's attitude. He is a changed man. At the awarding medal ceremony, Jur decides not to have any part in receiving his recognition,Stella thinks it is odd. Nothing prepares her for what she will have to endure in her search for the truth all the friends are reluctant to disclose.
This Dutch film, shown on cable recently kept our attention for the intense heat the director, Diederick Van Rooijen, gave the picture. Written by Hugo Heinen, the film was a rare find. The creators were trying to present a war story where there are no heroes, only victims. The experience these men had to face in a foreign land, away from their own home, shows a realistic approach about an ugly side of any type of conflict, and the scars it leaves forever in the heart of all the survivors.
Maartje Remmens plays Stella with enormous conviction. Her Stella is a woman who is not afraid of facing the reality, but she realizes everyone is lying to her, and the memory of her own dead brother compels her to find the truth, no matter how, or who's toes she will have to step on in order to find her own peace. The rest of the ensemble Dutch cast is wonderful, as it usually is in films from Holland.
Trying to make sense of her own tragedy, Stella decides to question not only Jur, but the rest of the unit's comrades. She meets with staunch opposition, something that does not sit well with her. Stella begins to notice a big change in Jur's attitude. He is a changed man. At the awarding medal ceremony, Jur decides not to have any part in receiving his recognition,Stella thinks it is odd. Nothing prepares her for what she will have to endure in her search for the truth all the friends are reluctant to disclose.
This Dutch film, shown on cable recently kept our attention for the intense heat the director, Diederick Van Rooijen, gave the picture. Written by Hugo Heinen, the film was a rare find. The creators were trying to present a war story where there are no heroes, only victims. The experience these men had to face in a foreign land, away from their own home, shows a realistic approach about an ugly side of any type of conflict, and the scars it leaves forever in the heart of all the survivors.
Maartje Remmens plays Stella with enormous conviction. Her Stella is a woman who is not afraid of facing the reality, but she realizes everyone is lying to her, and the memory of her own dead brother compels her to find the truth, no matter how, or who's toes she will have to step on in order to find her own peace. The rest of the ensemble Dutch cast is wonderful, as it usually is in films from Holland.