Petite Soeur

I saw this Dutch treat courtesy an international film festival, not long before Blair Witch Project broke big. Given that prior to that the most ground-shaking found-footage movie, arguably, was Man Bites Dog, also from Europe, consider this makes an interesting, more sedate companion.

Ominous, lens-eye-view drama takes place almost entirely through the viewfinder of a video-camera owned by the mostly unseen Martyn, who drops in unannounced on his pretty fashion-design-student sister Daantje for her 20th birthday, after a long separation. Martyn pathologically films Daantje, her friends and her Kama-Sutra-reading lover Ramon, and tries to make Daantje watch a collection of home movies he's brought with him containing some sort of dread secret.

Such is the climate of sexual obsession (and that she puts up with him at all) it's no surprise at all Martyn and Daantje have a past tainted by sibling incest. As Martyn craftily drives off Ramon and sabotages Daantje's support circle, the question is whether she'll succumb to her brother's perverted seduction a second time - or, for that matter, whether she's as sick as he is. The trick ending might leave some viewers scratching their heads.

I guess with little stretching this might be put into the class of all those "from hell" thrillers about deranged, overly persistent admirers, of which Fatal Attraction wrote the most imitated template. We've since seen roommates-from-hell, babysitters-from-hell, co-workers-from-hell, ex-wives-from-hell, dating-app-stalkers-from-hell, even old-army-buddies-from-hell. This is the brother-from-hell, and without the continuous-camera-eye gimmick, I promise, it would not have been quite so interesting. The technique also makes the viewer neatly complicit in the voyeurism.

Watch all the way through the closing credits for an epilogue. It won't give you answers, but is sardonic enough.

Kim van Kooten (Daantje) hated for a long time: everybody kept talking to her about that film even though she had starred in other films and had written several screenplays. Well, that's what happens when you play in a film as staggering as 'Zusje' (Little Sister).

Ever since 1996 there have been many films with video or digital cameras, but Zusje manages to keep special. Here the camera is not just a toy, it's a main character (possibly even more the protagonist). The story of a troubled relationship between brother and sister isn't new (and certainly not in a Dutch film), but here the camera forces itself inbetween them as an instrument of Truth. All this gives you a weird feeling watching the movie (you're intruding Daantje's life much more than you want to), but there's a special atmosphere that manages to keep all the viewers watching (even those who saw the film on tv and missed the beginning).

It's difficult to think of a movie that is more "in your face" than Zusje. It's hard not to see Kim van Kooten's talent in this film. It's hard to find a better Dutch film. Robert Jan Westdijk's later attempts at films got less excited reviews, which could remind us of the Orson Welles story. Still, Orson Welles Westdijk ain't and even if Westdijk turns out to be a "one hit wonder", that shouldn't keep you from watching Zusje.

Brilliant psychological drama with lots of humor interwoven. Also a great throwback to Amsterdam in the 1990's.

Although already 10 years old, this movie remains one of the most inventive films ever made in the Netherlands, and launched the careers of Kim van Kooten and the director, Robert-Jan Westdijk. The captivating performance by Kim van Kooten and her talking into the camera gave me the feeling that I was intruding in something very private.Her fantastic looks in a "girl next door" kind of way, made that feeling even stronger. The supporting cast are also very true to life. I do not want to give anything away of the storyline, since the viewer really has to let himself get drawn into the story and experience the fantastic twist at the end.It is still a shame that dutch cinema is not seen on a bigger platform, due to the language barrier and that it seems that even academy award winning films like The Assault, Antonia and Character are largely unknown outside the Netherlands and the relatively small group of European film lovers in America.

Zusje is one of the most intelligent and fascinating films I have ever seen. The way the story is told, the performances, everything about this film is brilliant. The story is gruesome, tragic, and very unpredictable. It leaves you wondering right up to the final scene about what really happened between Daan and Tijn when they were children, and leaves you with an ending nobody could possibly guess. Shocking and fascinating, a film well worth seeing.