Borgman (2013)

A vagrant enters the lives of an arrogant upper-class family, turning their lives into a psychological nightmare in the process.

Director:

Alex van Warmerdam

Writer:

Alex van Warmerdam

Stars:

Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval

11 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jan Bijvoet	...	Camiel Borgman
Hadewych Minis	...	Marina
Jeroen Perceval	...	Richard
Alex van Warmerdam	...	Ludwig
Tom Dewispelaere	...	Pascal
Sara Hjort Ditlevsen	...	Stine
Elve Lijbaart	...	Isolde
Dirkje van der Pijl	...	Rebecca
Pieter-Bas de Waard	...	Leo
Eva van de Wijdeven	...	Ilonka
Annet Malherbe	...	Brenda
Gene Bervoets	...	Gardener
Mike Weerts	...	Arthur Stornebrink
Pierre Bokma	...	Priest
Benjamin Boe Rasmussen	...	Man with Dog

Storyline

A priest and his companion hunt silently through the fields, accompanied by a braying dog. They are armed and deadly. Their quarry is Camiel Borgman (Jan Bijvoet), living in military sparseness in an underground den, near companions Ludwig and Pascal. Camiel scrapes out with some difficulty, hitching a ride with a doomed truck driver on a relentless trip to the heart of suburbia. He passes by two odd women, Brenda and Ilonka, with whom he seems to share a history. When a dirty Camiel arrives at the door of artist Marina and media executive Richard's expansive, designer-chic home, the shifting perceptions of Van Warmerdam's screenplay begin to displace and disorient the audience. Hallucinogenic elements dot the consciousness as Camiel shifts between the roles of victim and aggressor. He asks for a bath. He toys with Richard's jealousy. He is viciously beaten up by his cruelly intolerant host and left wounded on the floor. Marina seeks to assuage her guilt by allowing him a space for ...

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | dog | nanny | girl in bra | girl in underwear | 

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Taglines:

The perfect cross between Dogtooth and Michael Haneke.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Netherlands Belgium Denmark

Language:

Dutch English

Release Date:

29 August 2013 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Bela

Filming Locations:

Bloemendaal, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

€3,100,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€77,448 (Netherlands), 1 September 2013, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,224, 20 June 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$56,474, 25 July 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Graniet Film BV, NTR, Epidemic

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (HD)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of the Netherlands to the Oscars 2014 best foreign language film category.

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Goofs

After Camiel Borgman starts the chainsaw to cut down a tree, the chainsaw is clearly not running.

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Crazy Credits

The film opens with the caption: And they descended upon the earth to strengthen their ranks.

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Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: Sabotaje, Mas allá del Amor, Borgman, La Cueva, El abuelo que saltó por la ventana y se largó (2014)

User Reviews

A dark and at the same time irresistible funny movie about them and us, inside and outside.

This is a dark and at the same time irresistible funny movie about them and us, inside and outside, reality versus imagination. It's about somewhat strangely organized hobo's who are invading a posh house and taking over a family. It's a great, great movie, with a pitch perfect production and a deeply disturbing - and therefore significant and meaningful - message. Every viewer will make up his own story about what takes place in the house that is at the central stage, and in the dark woods that surround it, but in the end it's like a Rembrandt: deep and dark with some light touches that make you laugh and remember what art and humanity are all about: to overcome fear.What's extremely good about this movie is that it will make your film brain spin: what's going to happen next?