Paaz (2026)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 107 minuten
Country:
Netherlands
Directed by: Anne de Clercq
Stars: Gaite Jansen, Jonas Smulders and Gijs Blom
IMDb score:
6,9 (1.029)
Releasedate: 26 February 2026
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Actors and actresses
Emma
Boudewijn
Sergei
Floss
Dick
Visser
Marja
Jesse
Dimitri
Joyce
Reviews & comments
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14834 messages
- 4660 votes
The Netherlands' best actress with a mediocre plot and also weak direction in terms of choices. This is a heavy subject (including a phone number if you're having suicidal thoughts in the credits), but the tone is quite lighthearted at times. It even borders on corny. That starts right from the beginning, but the many characters (that's what they are) in the episode itself don't help either. Someone like Verbaan is a breath of fresh air here with a sober, understated role. The book also had a certain lighthearted tone, but you were always aware of being in a psychiatric ward where things really aren't that pleasant. And that's all drenched in that typical, bland, awful music that's incredibly dull. Music for people with no taste (I don't mean bad taste, but truly with no taste, the kind of people who just want background noise, who like to have Q-Music on at work, that kind of people).
Even Gaite Jansen occasionally suffers from the lighthearted tone, mainly because the situations are so poorly written. She does her best and makes the most of them in those scenes, skillfully maintaining a believable quality. But when the director lets her go and simply lets her do her thing, you realize how incredibly good she is, with her facial expressions alone conveying a profound sense of repressed and hidden grief. Just look at her face when she's in the car. And at the end, she manages to be moving, too.
All in all, not a great film, but I wasn't bored at all, and Jansen is worth keeping, so it just barely gets a passing grade. 3.0*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13506 messages
- 11317 votes
A decent film about a hard-working woman who is admitted to a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide. The main character is quite well-developed (thanks in part to a fine performance by Gaite Jansen), but the other characters are somewhat neglected. Despite the somewhat heavy subject matter, the film is quite lighthearted (at times even a little too lighthearted). A mere 3.0 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Mr_Marty
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- 257 messages
- 213 votes
This film about Emma Nieuwenhuis, a publishing house editor who ends up in the psychiatric ward with severe burnout, bordering on suicidal, but is in deep denial, starts off well. A strong performance by Gaite Jansen portrays Emma, smooth and believable dialogue (including some silly banter, an essential element often forgotten in Dutch films), and filmed at a nice, brisk pace, albeit in a somewhat prosaic TV-movie style. Emma's character is a bit tiresome, but that is inherent to the kind of manic state of denial she puts herself in. It is also good to see a somewhat more realistic portrayal of a psychiatric ward and its patients for a change.
But the further the film progresses, the more it ends up in a sort of funnel of feel-good rom-com clichés. It even ends in a Christmas atmosphere. The snappy dialogue also gives way to stiff, heavy-handed Exchange of Deep Truths, complete with an over-the-top soundtrack.
I read the book the film is based on years ago and don't remember many details, but I don't recall a romantic subplot, whereas here it becomes the main focus at a certain point. Emma's healing process is rushed a bit at the end.
In my memory, the book was more of a documentary account of life on a psychiatric ward, taking the everyday course of events as its starting point; I recall that there was a lot of puzzling going on (to be fair: that is briefly touched upon, and I know it isn't exactly cinematic). It was also much more a story about the collective of the residents and staff, whereas in the films they are nothing more than window dressing. A shame, because the cast was there to make that ensemble film. Bianca Krijgsman's Marja certainly deserved much more attention, but so did Emma's roommate Kim (Laura Bakker).
Translated from Dutch · View original
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