06/05

Well, I actually really liked it. Next to the tension this movie builds on, it has a very warm, very dutch, comforting seventies-based and natural feel to it. Despite of the actual storyline and the grim ideas behind it, I could understand where Theo was coming from when he wanted this to be made. Having lived the day when Pim Fortuyn got killed, and knowing the many unexplained details surrounding it, I think parts of the movie are terrifying in that they might very well be more true than most of us would like to believe. Just waving away the entire story as fiction somehow doesn't cut it for me. Knowing Theo Van Gogh quite well from local TV etcetera, I expected some hidden messages, telling us things beneath the surface of it all; They're not getting through to every viewer, but they're all over the place.

Theo shot this movie using the very fast 3-camera technique, giving it a documentary-like speed, which fits the writing. Some of the action scenes could have been done better (with a bigger budget perhaps), but aside from a few lesser moments (which didn't really bother me) the movie had me hooked, and the only thing I didn't like was that it ended. You know good guys can't always win, but you really want them to this time around. Even today, you'd like Pim and Theo to just re-appear on-screen like nothing had happened in our 'innocent' little country. It's hard to view the film not knowing the sickening story behind his killing, and it's even harder to notice how wrongfully he and Pim have been accused of being racist and right-wing extremists (or similar accusations). If anything, this movie is telling it like it is, and shows us how the exact opposite was true for both Pim and Theo.

The movie would have looked quite promising for Van Gogh, and still does for most of the actors in it. Theo was clearly getting better by the year, so it truly saddens me to see what could have been if he would still be alive. It's all been so silly, so stupid, so useless, and when you see this movie you want to snap out of reality, but you know you can't, because it is all so real...

A shocking assassination of a controversial public figure, muddy, insufficient explanation, hence a logical ground for a conspiracy theories. If you add that the director of the movie gets murdered himself, soon after finishing this film,it all gets even more convoluted. Pim Fortuyn was labeled with the extremist labels, racism, intolerance, but he was much more complex person. An open homosexual, asking hard but not unfair questions. Without any answers or useful suggestions, he was smeared and easily dismissed. And shortly after killed. The movie is powerful, but little disjointed , as if the director wasn't sure himself of his intentions.

Found this movie in the library, had never heard of it, although i had read of Van Gogh's murder. Interesting to see the casting of Americans as the money-men behind the plot to assassinate Pim. this would probably not have appeared in such a routine, "everybody knows" manner if this were an American film. But if it were an American film, it wouldn't have been made at all. we in the US are pretty protected from news about what our weapons manufacturers are really doing. It helps us to not understand things like Iraq, prepares us to believe whatever Bush tells us. funny to run across this detail in a European movie. I believe it explains so much. But about the movie, see it. What do idealists do, when the money is all against them? What do lovers do when they're blackmailed by the cops? Is every woman in Holland that beautiful? Is it possible to love someone for their posture?

I think the movie insufficiently shows how the immigration debate was muddled by intolerance, obscurantism, intimidation and character assassination, and how it eventually led to physical assassination. Some user comments give you a flavour, though. Pravda-5 seems to be consumed by the most intense racial animosity, directed against the Dutch, who stand accused of "in-bread racism" (the word is inbred, by the way). This is exactly the Soviet-like unmeasured demagoguery that had Fortuyn killed. Would I be allowed to make a generalization of my own? Would it be off-limits to present some statistically significant data about crime committed by immigrants, which makes the Dutch a bit wary and suspicious? Now that would be racism, wouldn't it? Or the fact that a significant minority is involved in gang and violent criminal activity and that large portion of these people feel alienated from the dominant culture and have made it explicitly clear that they will do as they please, regardless of what the laws say. Another fact is that we are one the most racially diverse of the leading industrialized nations, with the biggest percentage of non-Western immigrants. That we have done many things for the eternally "disaffected" Muslims: We have build them mosques with imposing minarets all over Rotterdam, Amsterdam and the rest of the country, we have authorized state grants to Islamic schools etc. etc. Many Muslims however relate to their host countries in ways that are diametrically opposed to the multicultural indulgence that they have received. Did I mention that Van Gogh is dead, like Fortuyn? And that two prominent politicians are into hiding for the rest of their lives? That sort of proves their point, doesn't it? I also can't say that I'm much impressed by the idiot schoolmarmish cant about racism and xenophobia from SnoopDogDog from Albania. To call opinions you don't like racist is such a debasement, the question is: are they t-r-u-e?". A phobia is an irrational fear of something or someone. It is not irrational to fear those who follow issued fatwa's. Fortuyn was a public-spirited person doing his citizenly best to promote his idea that freedom of speech is more important than the supposed feelings of Muslims. Fortuyn's opinions were politically incorrect, the opinions of the left were simply incorrect, comparing him to Hitler in a very volatile period of World War II commemorations, which was an offence to objective truth and reason. However, Fortuyn never thought that any speech should be legally banned. By the way, we take the p*ss out of everyone, we're Dutch! Catholics, protestants, homosexuals, foreigners and since recently Muslims. No suffering stronger than hurt feelings is involved.

First off, let's all admit that this film would probably never had a chance to see a production budget of any kind before September 11th, 2001. Secondly, two of the main characters are westernized Muslims and in the film they drink alcohol, have a sexual affair, and wear regular clothes ( no hijab for the female character ). What all of that means, exactly, is something of a mystery to me.

Third, the story-telling in this film is far better than some of the other comments might indicate. Given that the fine DVD presentation requires the viewer to read subtitles for the parts given in other languages, which is about 98 per cent of the film, it all works real well. In my less-than-humble opinion, of course.

Apparently the Dutch secret service or spy agency does not believe in or perhaps does not need warrants to break into the homes of private citizens, and is not averse to random acts of vandalism, as well.

So, yes, the story is convoluted and to see this film without some basic back-grounding on the politics involved makes it a daunting task. On the other side, the principal actors mostly do a very fine job in their characterizations of real persons. The fact that the film ends without giving the viewer any kind of "in the face" explanation of who really killed the Dutch politician, Pym, does not make the story in any way irrelevant. Nor can any sensible person find anything racist in this intriguing drama. On the contrary, the Netherlands is presented as being a most tolerant place where natives and second-generation immigrants live next to each other and work together quite well.

It's a spy story and a murder story, after all, and it does provoke the viewer to ask ... who really wanted that fellow Pym to be killed ? The colorful, controversial life of Theo van Gogh, who was in life so very central to the creation of this film, is NOT the subject here.

The pacing and the direction were really rather good, and it is not a "slow-paced" film, but it is telling a rather convoluted story. Leading lady Tara Elders does a remarkable turn in a tough role, too, as the Muslim immigrant with a checkered past.

For my dollar two ninety-five, it was worth renting and worth viewing twice. The second time around the intrigue was much easier to grasp.

It is necessary to know something about the recent history of the Netherlands to get the full value of this production.