De Afstand plot
23-year-old Luuk van Oirschot (Bennie Roeters) has chosen the isolation of life on an oil tanker to reflect on his life. Tonnie, his best friend, is his counterpart. Luuk has received word that Tonnie, his former best friend has died. Tonnie had turned to heroin and dug his own grave with it. Although he had never intended to live much older than 33, he was nowhere near that age. Luuk picks up a package from the post office in Port Said, which contains the 8mm films that he himself shot as an amateur filmmaker in earlier years. During the long journey, as soon as Luuk's shifts are over, night after night, Luuk plays those films, with family scenes and especially a lot of attention for Tonnie, who was still remarkably exuberant at the time.