De Onverbiddelijke Tijd plot
Transience, the most important theme in Jan Wolkers' oeuvre, is central in 'The Unforgivable Time'. The film is constructed on the basis of archive material from the sixties in combination with recordings from the present. For example, we see archive footage of a 'young' Wolkers who, following the publication of Turks Fruit and Back to Oegstgeest, discusses the autobiographical character of his work, the use of offensive words, the very diverse reactions he received and the strictly Reformed milieu in which he grew up. Sometimes emphatically, but more often between the lines, the film shows the sources of his writing, including the Bible. His theme is addressed in the film in the same way. By speaking in general about subjects such as the transience and the death of his older brother, Wolkers also speaks about his strongly autobiographical oeuvre. In 'De Unverbidelijke Tijd' it becomes clear once again what a great storyteller Jan Wolkers is: vital, inspired, emotional and always permeated by the human deficiency.