Marieke Heebink
No novel has captivated and moved millions of readers during the past few years like A Little Life by American author Hanya Yanagihara. Ivo van Hove adapted Yanagihara’s novel to theater and created a penetrating performance. Ramsey Nasr won the Louis d'Or (best male performance) for his portrayal of Jude.
When CEO Basile H. returns from a business trip, nothing can foil the growth of his success, so it seems. He is mentioned for a high-ranking position in Frankfurt, he has a well-to-do wife who waits for him and he lives in a beautiful residence in the woods. Then, his lawyer calls him with the announcement that a complaint has been filed against him by a waitress that he took to his hotel room the night before. Basile trusts he will win this time, too. But the dies are cast differently than he thinks.
"If only these walls could speak and tell us their stories" Based on the same name novel by Vonne van der Meer, the movie is set on the Dutch island Vlieland, telling the diverse stories of the people visiting cottage Duinroos (Dune rose) over the course of the summer. Against the background of the idyllic nature, the individual stories of the guests develop as their relational perils and personal moments of love, desire, loss and trust show the world as it is. Without knowing, and almost imperceptibly, the visitors' lives intertwine and join into one story.
Lou is a Turkish cellmate on leave, who has started proving his Turkish cellmate to save him from marrying another with his Turkish lover. The leaver enlists the help of his wife who has suddenly entered into a relationship with the responsible probation officer. Equipped with a revolver and telephone, the shaky couple drives through the streets of Amsterdam.
In a small, unnamed European town the entire population depends upon the local, ailing factory. When American investors arrive, prosperity fever infects the residents.
In 1990s Amsterdam, Loe and Bob are in a relationship, but wanting different things. Loe is a singer who likes to party and who is also engaged in migrant support. Bob is a lawyer focused on his career. As the film progresses, the tensions in the relationship become exposed.
The inalienable and inconceivable core of an old myth is swirling and fermenting beneath the surface of a recognizable contemporary story. Medea is called Anna in this version, a successful doctor who is trying to get on with her life after a forced confinement. She is willing to forgive the affair of her husband with a younger woman and to make a new start with him and the children. Soon it turns out that their plans for the future do not correspond. Anna is in danger of losing everything: her husband, her children, her career. She is cornered and sees only one way out.
