Jaap Maarleveld
Thirty-something Valentine runs a renowned restaurant and her stylish dining room is fully booked for Valentine's Day. Chef cook Angelo prepares the food and the tables are romantically covered. The guests enter, hoping for love on their menus. Valentine has everything under control, she thinks. But how could she expect that Frank, her old flame from 12 years ago would suddenly reappear on this day of love...
Jacob's (84) life is based on rituals; waking up with his favorite music and doing jigsaw puzzles until dawn. He thinks he's perfectly capable of living on his own but his children think otherwise, his fragile body and confused mind increasingly let him down. With great sadness and under protest Jacob leaves his old life behind to discover that living in a nursing home is not so bad at all.
Masha (37) is in an overwhelming relationship with Luuk, father of two and separated. Nothing seems to stand in their way until Luuk turns incurably ill, leaving Masha without status.
Young Keetje wants to surprise her father with a wonderful father's day breakfast. Wearing a red checked apron and with her tongue out, she finishes her drawing and puts a thick layer of marmalade and chocolate confetti on a slice of bread. Meanwhile, the inevitable egg is boiling on the cooker. When the cooking of the egg turns into a dangerous situation, Keetje is painfully confronted with herself.
Making Waves is the story of Cella (Jacqueline Blom) and her 71-year-old mother Johanna (Kitty Courbois). Life smiles upon Cella. Happily divorced, having two children and a successful job as a presenter at a local station, for which she interviews people every morning who take the ferry across the IJ river. In her enthusiasm, Cella resembles her mother, once a celebrated violinist, but the similarity also causes friction between the two women. Just when Cella meets a new love, her father's sudden death puts her life on a different track. Johanna increasingly muddles past and present and brings back fragments of memories that point to a painful secret she carries on her back. Cella tries to dig up the truth.
From different time perspectives, Sloophamer tells the story of 55-year-old Dirk, who one Friday afternoon returns to his house in the pleasant street where he leads a happy life. He is proud of the house he has converted into a snug little palace with his own hands. But then, suddenly, a wrecker's ball knocks a gaping hole into the outside wall. Dirk's wife quickly explains that the house is going to be demolished, but the bull-headed Dirk refuses to vacate the place. Still, the overseer of the demolition team wants to finish the job before the weekend. To 'smoke out' the couple, he makes their situation increasingly dire. Water, gas and electricity are cut off and the anti-riot squad is even on standby. While Dirk is cheered as a hero by sympathisers, the overseer decides to go upstairs and terminate the predicament. There, he finds a different man than he had imagined. It slowly becomes clear that Dirk is out of touch with reality.
Tate, a young and crooked businessman, thinks he can get rich quick by buying a Russian freighter in the port of Rotterdam. This turns out to be a fiasco because the ship has been arrested, the freight has been sealed by the customs and the crew has been waiting for months for their wages. When his girlfriend falls in love with the ship's mate, Tate makes a decision. He takes pity on the suffering crew and tries to save them from their helpless predicament. Written by Dennis Jansen
