J. Kessels is described as a dry-witted, surreal and absurdistic road movie. After having seen it, I find it a qualification that is quite fitting. However, I have to add that this is not a hallmark for quality or a recommendation per se.
In its current form, the movie seems a bit like a crossbreed between a Joel & Ethan Coen and an Alex van Warmerdam picture. These filmmakers are well-known for creating cinematic universes that are governed by their own absurd logic, as well as their love for extremely deadpan humor. I am not a fan of van Warmerdam, but I will always line up for a new Coen movie. But J. Kessels, unfortunately, doesn't even get close to one of their lesser films.
I can't help but think what Joel & Ethan would have done with this weird premise of an author who joins his own creation (or perhaps the man inspiring his writing) on a trip in the hopes of seeing his childhood crush again, because the current makers lack the qualities to make this crazy gimmick work. After a very original opening credits sequence, the story starts to wander aimlessly, with the characters getting from one bizarre situation to the next, but what is going on and how they get there is hardly ever clear. The script simply leaves out too many details, and some characters (especially Ruben van der Meer) use accents that make them nearly unintelligible (where are the subtitles when you need them?). The actors get to say absurd oneliners that are meant to be quotable, but the dialogue is too succint to make their conversations meaningful or the plot even vaguely clear.
This would be less of a problem if the individual scenes were actually funny at all, but most of the situations fall completely flat and have no comedic pay-off whatsoever. Only a couple of scenes got an uneasy smile from me, but the timing of the rest is way off and the actors play it way too straight. I had not expected much else from Fedja van de Huêt who always plays the straight man, but not using Frank Lammers to his full comedic potential is just a waste of talent.
What kept my attention, however, is the beautiful way that the movie is shot. The production design, cinematography and editing are all of high quality. A special mention for the dancing scene inside the brothel; I have no idea how the story got there, but it looked great and perfectly choreographed.
In short, I find this movie just being weird for the sake of weird, and as such, it is far from the inspired lunacy that we have come to know from the Coens or even Wes Anderson. If you want to see a Dutch movie with a bizarre story that works out fine, go and watch Black Out (look for tt2114358 here on IMDb). Although that film was more a Guy Ritchie-type crime-comedy, it perfectly combined a zany plot and outlandish characters with good humor and actors who are used to their strengths. Now can the Coen brothers please buy the rights of J. Kessels and work their magic over it?
