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Zwarte zwanen (2005)
Carice couldn't save this one alone
I'd like to preface this by saying, I think every film deserves to have an audience and I wish that films could not be so easily forgotten. I don't want to deter viewers, so I'll try to clearly outline reasons for my opinions so you can judge for yourself whether you'd like to see this.
Zwarte Zwanen (Black Swans) begins with a perfect-strangers kind of romance on the beach, between a rather attractive Carice van Houten and a somewhat less attractive Dragan Bakema. To call their love one of fiery passion is adequate, but I think this oversells the invested emotion, it is more accurate to call it a voluminous montage of intertwined beach activity and sex. But as their passion for each other eventually grows, so too does a rift in their relationship, and the two must try their best to face their metaphorical demons. The film is told in three languages: Dutch primarily, and Spanish and English in various side conversations that advance the plot slightly, but just understanding the Dutch is sufficient. I hope there's a subtitled version somewhere for the majority of viewers who don't speak all three. The camera work was generally functional, with only a few jarring shots that feel like inexperienced experimentation. Sadly, the bland script relied on sex to keep the viewer's attention, for the characters, plot events, and dialogue did not feel especially engaging or well-written. A movie buff might notice some obvious but appreciated references to From Here to Eternity, A Star is Born, and Titanic. Carice van Houten is certainly the one who elevates this to watchable, and is probably one of the few actresses who could competently deliver dialogue in all three of these languages.
Phileine zegt sorry (2003)
Impressive, creative, stylistic
I'm not going to claim this is a perfect movie. It has its flaws, and it seems that most other reviews here see these most clearly. But for me, the flaws did not define the movie, far from it. The plot is simple enough: Kim van Kooten (in a brilliant performance, I wish she made more films like this and Zusje) follows her boyfriend Michiel Huisman to New York on his "business trip", and must deal with the half-truths he told about precisely what his business was. It is not the plot that makes this movie great, it is the inventiveness in storytelling. There is definitely great influence from well-known classics like Tom Jones, Annie Hall, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and very possibly Jean-Pierre Melville's Magnet of Doom, but with a 2003 digital effects update that causes much of the polarity in the other reviews. I don't typically enjoy absurdist humor, but I found myself constantly laughing in amusement and surprise at the startling use of effects and van Kooten's quick asides to the camera. The film gets very sleazy at times, and it could be argued that this sleaze is a centerpiece, but I would instead define the film by the emotional journey of these two lovers, who make terrible mistakes and cause each other harm, but ultimately can apologize and forgive each other, and I thought that much was very well done. I have not yet read the book, but it's high on my list after watching this film. There is some debate about how well it adapts the book, but this does not affect my evaluation of the film; I'm not evaluating what could have been but what is. I expected that this would be a trashy romantic comedy like so many other Dutch romantic comedies, but to me this one rises far above.
Weg van jou (2017)
Niet Vreselijk
Weg van Jou is exactly what you expect if you've seen anything about the film. Katja Herbers lives in a picturesque high-rise apartment with her boyfriend, and cannot wait for her business trip to Rio de Janiero. However, when the paperwork is finished, it is not Rio she is sent to, but the much less exciting city of Terneuzen, and she must learn to deal with the peculiarities of the locals and the changes within herself. Cliches abound, awkward moments are savored, yet I found Herbers an interesting enough protagonist that I was able to stay engaged with the film. The other characters are all somewhat flat, playing safely to a stereotype, and frequent music and many of the writing and cinematography choices indicate that this film is staying close to a known formula to please the audience who seeks it out. Few risks are taken; this is not an endeavor of artistic sensibility, but of entertainment. But given that, I found that the lowest point at this film does not sink as low as many other modern cheap romantic comedies. So, if you think it's just the same movie you've seen a hundred times, you're probably right, and if that's what you want then you'll be pleased.
Gebroken spiegels (1984)
Not an erotic thriller, but a story
From the plot summary, it's easy to believe that GEBROKEN SPIEGELS is just another '80s thriller that capitalizes upon voluptuous women with an allergy to every fabric known to mankind and the thrill of a faceless killer terrorizing his virginal victims. I think summarizing this film with its plot does it an extreme disservice. The film is indeed set in a brothel, and constantly shows these prostitutes at work, but I would argue that not a single scene is designed to be erotic. We never see the supposed masculine ideal of a house full of willing and scantily clad women who will take him to heaven for 200 guilders, but instead a house of hard, painful, even depressing work with its desperate workers doing what they know how to do to scrape by. This is not a film of entertainment, but of storytelling and art.
I write this not having particularly enjoyed the film's story. Although not wholly depressing, it's neither happy nor exciting, and as a male viewer with no interest in brothels, there was no character to which I related. Certainly there is no male figure of any moral value - as is mentioned in the film, the good men aren't good customers. Yet somehow, the film manages to surpass the need for relatability with its gentle and grounded portrayal of strong women who can handle the hard life they have chosen. No sympathy is demanded, rather, the film allows you the freedom to feel. In this way, the film transcends the cheap erotic trash that regrettably drowns it. This is cinema.
Suddenly It's Spring (1947)
Paulette Goddard Does It Again!
I don't typically write reviews here, but this film is even more underseen than underrated, and deserves some attention. Paulette Goddard and Fred MacMurray come back from the war, having sworn to get a divorce four years prior. However, during the war Goddard worked as a marriage counselor to soldiers, and has since had a change of heart; not just to save her reputation/career but also her marriage. It plays not dissimilarly to The Awful Truth or The Philadelphia Story, in that MacMurray must chase down his wife; and yet it is dissimilar in that she's the one who loves him and he must chase her down to sign divorce papers. As it turns out, there's nothing so romantic as the thrill of the hunt - will MacMurray open his eyes and see what a wonderful wife he's giving up before it's too late? (Take a wild guess). Definitely would recommend this film to anyone into classic comedy.