Despite only a weak understanding of the Frisian language (that which is considered the closest language to English without being a dialect of English), this movie is very well made. It's hard to believe it is a TV movie. I guess the Frisians don't get much airtime even in Friesland (Fryslân).
At any rate, this movie seems to be about an aristocratic Frisian family (circa before automobiles?) with only one grown son (Ate Wallinga), and no other children to speak of. There is a horse race (drivers in a small chariot dragged by the horse) where the winner wins a golden whip (de gouden swipe). This trophy is evidently very important to the father. The mother dies midway through it. The real story seems to be about how the son falls in love with one of the family's workers, Janke Feikema (played by the tige moai (very beautiful) Maaike Schuurmans); it would seem that the Feikema family had been working on the Wallinga farm for a very long time.
I won't give the rest away, but will say that even without understanding the dialog, it is reasonably easy to figure out the general story. Because the filming is so good and the Frisian landscape so nice, it is an easy watch. Also has a good soundtrack. At some point I'll finish reading the book (also in Frisian; seemingly a different dialect than west Frisian), and then perhaps I'll understand the film better.
