To begin with, this is one of those movies that feels like unforgettable experience. 'Bijzonder' movie, as a Dutch would say. Yes, it is not for everyone. There are a lot of porn scenes and the overall topic is quite unsettling. However, if you can handle this, you are left with a long-lasting inner discussion about the mind of a young person.
It is often talked about the cruelty of youth. Many think that bad upbringing, education may be the cause, others talk about brutal video games, TV shows and films. This story, however, proposes a whole new suggestion. Perhaps it is not really a cruelty? Maybe this destructable behaviour might arise from the emptiness inside of a soul, maybe the person doesn't even understand that his actions may have detrimental consequences?
There were a few scenes in 'Wij' which were strongly connected to this statement of mine. For instance, the one with the dog. The girls were shouting that it is wrong to leave a dog on the railway, that it is cruel and unhuman, however, when the guys started going away, the girls simply shrugged and followed. They knew the idea of cruelty, but... just... you know. That feeling. When you say 'however'. It is not your life, right?
Another example could be the moment on the bridge. When the simple joke truned into a massive catastrophe with a few fatalities. But in the minds of youth that caused all of this it became nothing more than a headline. 'We are on the front page'. Just like this. And all of those broken families and holidays exist only as a narrative, not as a part of the real world. Even the last minutes, when two of those 8 teenagers were reminiscencing their lucky escape from their deep trouble, spoke quite a lot. The teenagers understood that they were doing something really wrong, but saving their asses seemed more important thant their morality, thus they preferred destroying the life and family of (not so pure, but not so damned) the local politician. And after a couple of months they talked about this as something distant and unimportant.
Before summarising, I would also like to point out the beautiful atmosphere. The soundtrack kept the tense just perfectly, and the colours of Dutch-Belgian summer were immersive and realistic. It felt so good - as a comeback to The Netherlands. I admire that the cinematography managed to be so idyllic without becoming naive and 'kitsch'.
And now let's come to the conclusion. This movie is heavy. If you have weak nerves and you tolerate only traditional movies, do not choose this one. Because the IMDb rating, in my opinion, is already too low, and the poor ratings by the viewers who did not really understood the deepnes of this film will not do any good. On the other hand, you can experience something untraditional, moving and long-lasting. It is a real gem, a penny for your thoughts. Enjoy.
It is often talked about the cruelty of youth. Many think that bad upbringing, education may be the cause, others talk about brutal video games, TV shows and films. This story, however, proposes a whole new suggestion. Perhaps it is not really a cruelty? Maybe this destructable behaviour might arise from the emptiness inside of a soul, maybe the person doesn't even understand that his actions may have detrimental consequences?
There were a few scenes in 'Wij' which were strongly connected to this statement of mine. For instance, the one with the dog. The girls were shouting that it is wrong to leave a dog on the railway, that it is cruel and unhuman, however, when the guys started going away, the girls simply shrugged and followed. They knew the idea of cruelty, but... just... you know. That feeling. When you say 'however'. It is not your life, right?
Another example could be the moment on the bridge. When the simple joke truned into a massive catastrophe with a few fatalities. But in the minds of youth that caused all of this it became nothing more than a headline. 'We are on the front page'. Just like this. And all of those broken families and holidays exist only as a narrative, not as a part of the real world. Even the last minutes, when two of those 8 teenagers were reminiscencing their lucky escape from their deep trouble, spoke quite a lot. The teenagers understood that they were doing something really wrong, but saving their asses seemed more important thant their morality, thus they preferred destroying the life and family of (not so pure, but not so damned) the local politician. And after a couple of months they talked about this as something distant and unimportant.
Before summarising, I would also like to point out the beautiful atmosphere. The soundtrack kept the tense just perfectly, and the colours of Dutch-Belgian summer were immersive and realistic. It felt so good - as a comeback to The Netherlands. I admire that the cinematography managed to be so idyllic without becoming naive and 'kitsch'.
And now let's come to the conclusion. This movie is heavy. If you have weak nerves and you tolerate only traditional movies, do not choose this one. Because the IMDb rating, in my opinion, is already too low, and the poor ratings by the viewers who did not really understood the deepnes of this film will not do any good. On the other hand, you can experience something untraditional, moving and long-lasting. It is a real gem, a penny for your thoughts. Enjoy.