Zomer in Frankrijk (2023)

Still quite doable. Especially because of the acting of Ouwerkerk and Gerritsma who have a great chemistry and remain quite natural. Then the scenes that are just about vacation are quite nice. The other duo is a lot less, Kooijman is annoying and Sendar colorless - there is also zero chemistry between those two. The film is nice and short (also nice sometimes) but the last 20 minutes the film unfortunately revolves around too much contrived theater and drama and then ends disappointingly where a sufficient could really have been in it. 2.5*.

Translated from Dutch · View original

If you were planning to jump in front of a train but just needed that final push.

I don't know any of these people, except for Jan Kooijman and the one from Goudkust (?), so I was googling again while the film was playing. The director appears to have attended St. Joost and the Rietveld Academy. I wonder what they taught him there, because when I look at the film...

Krezip at the beginning, no idea what that's doing here.

Une Belle Histoire, great chanson, I thought I'd enjoy it, when that idiot started to bawl through it. Who is that actor by the way? I looked it up, that guy is in almost all Dutch films. I didn't notice him in any of them. No idea who it is hahaha...

The worst thing about those Dutch 'feelgood' films (they should actually be banned) is the clothing, which again is not worth watching, especially the scene where everyone is dancing crazy; men in rock-solid summer outfits, all the women in the same dresses at a decent knee length, in all kinds of cheerful Hema colours.

And especially no black. Black is taboo in these kinds of films. Just like depth.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Hugo [Eliyha Alterna] and Mia [Wendy Ruijfrok] are dating, so their parents, who are good friends, decide to spend the holidays together. Hugo's mother [Fockeline Ouwerkerk] and Mia's father [Tjebbo Gerritsma] try to bring their other halves [Jan Kooijman, Jasmine Sendar] closer together, hoping that this will allow them to end their current relationship without too much pain and move on together. A somewhat unusual premise, but Nienke Römer's screenplay avoids caricatures, and De Cloe resists the temptation to add all sorts of comedy. It's not much, but the relaxed acting and the fine chemistry between the actors ensure a lighthearted, quite enjoyable movie night.

Translated from Dutch · View original