Cloaca (2003)

Four old college friends in their forties come together in a time of trouble and despair. Old joy relives, but the harsh reality of their problems can't satisfy them and eventually endangers their friendships.

Director:

Willem van de Sande Bakhuyzen

Writers:

Maria Goos (play), Maria Goos (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Blok, Pierre Bokma, Gijs Scholten van Aschat

7 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Blok	...	Tom
Pierre Bokma	...	Pieter
Gijs Scholten van Aschat	...	Joep
Jaap Spijkers	...	Maarten
Elsie de Brauw	...	Conny
Caro Lenssen	...	Laura
Marleen Stolz	...	Helena (as Marleen Stoltz)
Eric Schneider	...	Brest
Genio de Groot	...	Jacques Vermeulen
Marcel Hensema	...	Lighting designer
Jeroen Spitzenberger	...	Actor in play
Benjamin de Wit	...	Actor in play
Marnix Stassen	...	Percussionist
Dianne Krijnen	...	Colleague
Iwan Walhain	...	Drug courier on moped

Storyline

The relationship of four old college friends in trouble is renewed when they get dependent on each other. Pieter doesn't want to give back eight valuable paintings he took from the art depot of the municipality for each year as a birthday present. To help him, he requests the help from Tom, once a lawyer, but now a drug addict. Politician Joep, quarrelling with his wife and in the race for becoming a member of the Dutch cabinet, is hiding at Pieter's place. Joep's daughter is actress in a play of stage director Maarten. Secretly Maarten is having sex with her and he is looking for an opportunity to tell. For some time the friendship of the four is revived, but are they willing to go through fire and water for one another?

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | college friend | stage | sex | painting | 

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Actors Peter Blok, Pierre Bokma and Gijs Scholten van Aschat and director Willem van de Sande Bakhuyzen are real life college friends.

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Quotes

Pieter: I rather, to be honest, want to select something from the nil-depot. That is a cellar under the town-hall where all the more or less written of art is stored. Most is garbage. 800 square metres full of uglyness, that really is bad Tom.

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Connections

Featured in De wereld draait door: Episode #10.11 (2014)

User Reviews

Well done

Even though this is 'just' a TV movie, it has the look and feel of 'real cinema'.

The lead roles are played by Dutch stage actors (the movie is based on a successful stage play with the same name, featuring the same actors), but most of these actors were in motion pictures and TV films before, so they know very well (or even remarkably well) how not to play to the balcony.

The cinematography is simply beautiful and the editing is what I would call 'fluent'. A nice rhythm of long, medium and close-up shots and some dolly work at the right times. Some Dutch movies try to look like a reality-TV show, but this one has cinematic qualities.

Since the main theme is friendship eroded by ambition, secrets, and betrayal, it does not really matter that the storyline and settings are a bit 'overburdened' (I mean, a future cabinet minister, a stage director chasing the lead actress in his play, a homosexual civil servant accused of stealing paintings, and an attorney with a cocaine addiction and a tendency to cut himself up - that's richer than Holland's Golden Age ..).

The supporting roles are fine, with Laura (the 18-year old daughter of one of the friends and femme fatale for one of the other friends) delivering some magnificent Lolita eye candy.

Well done, and good news for Dutch cinema. This movie deserves to be on wide-screen celluloid in a theater near you.

8/10.

Details

Official Sites:

A-Film [Netherlands] official site [Netherlands]

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch Russian English

Release Date:

23 October 2003 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Cloaca - Alte Freunde

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,021,317

Company Credits

Production Co:

IDTV Film, AVRO Television, CoBo Fonds

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1