Swingers

Put four people in one room and let tension run high. It has been done before in film history, but when it's done well, it can produce 'Big Cinema'. 'Swingers' is at times 'Big Cinema'. It's Brenninkmeijer's second feature and he turns out to be a great actor's director and writer of sharp dialog.

A film like 'Swingers', with only four characters, stands or falls with the acting. And although it's their first major role in a feature film, all four play out their characters very well. Ellen van der Koogh plays a beautiful but insecure woman; Danny de Kok is like a young puppy who gets let loose in the woods for the first time; Nienke Brinkhuis is the unsatisfiable self and Joep Sertons plays the quite husband who seems to be at ease with his swinging situation.

Especially the first part of Swingers is mouthwatering. It starts with Julian who screams up his confidence while shaving but it really starts to get interesting from the moment Timo and Alex arrive at the house. How to act when you meet your date for the first time knowing you will have some steamy moments with for the weekend?

The first clumsy moves are hysterical. While sitting uncomfortably in the livingroombench, they are overly interested in their daily work and professions and the words 'cosy' are spoken before it really had a chance to set in. Every once and a while Diana escapes to the kitchen to get more drinks an Julian follows to give her a hand. Fortunately they have picked an awesome house to play their game. A house were a swimmingpool and a sauna are commonplace. Alex takes the initiative and soon they are skinnydipping to get things started were they have come for.

The biggest credit you can give 'Swingers´ is the way in which the emotional balance shifts gradually. Those who started out vulnerable evolve more secure while the others use their self-consciousness to shield themselves for the truth. The way the characters throw each other glances, the things they say, the mindgames they play: it's all as subtle as it is venomous. Although the film gets a bit slow at the point of the 'Big Moment' and 'the morning after', it doesn't hide the fact that with 'Swingers', Brenninkmeijer delivered a film of international standing.

I saw the movie twice: once in the cinema and once on DVD. I must say, it's looks better on DVD, because the director uses close ups a lot. In the cinema the movie also seems to drag a bit. At first I thought the movie was shot on 16 millimeter, but in scene one I saw the artifacts common with DV, so I knew what to expect. Contrary to another comment, which said the cinematography sucks, but can't tell why, just that it stinks. I think it was very brave to go the classic way and give room to the story, instead of using that old style of 'innovative cinematography' ofter associated with DV. The person who wrote the comment, fotorobbert I recall, has an approach that is quite wrong: the question is, does the choice the filmmakers made fit the way the story is told, it's not about how yóu think it should be done. His added remark that another Dutch movie called Costa looked better is utterly stupid considering that movie was shot on 35 mm and had at least 100 times more budget. The question is more: why have the producers chosen to shoot on DV when they knew they were going to release the film in the cinema? Well, maybe they didn't at the time. Still, on DVD it really found it's place.

Swingers' problem is more the way the story is told. What is the main question? What is the main conflict? What genre is it? It's start out one way and ends another. Sometimes that works, this time it just feels strange. The cast is stellar at times, but is uncomfortable at others. There seems little room for improvisation or even to let a flow go. This gives the movie a cramped feeling sometimes. And I must say: the story itself doesn't help either. I personally think it's too simple given the characters the actors put out. It at times feels like a paint by numbers exercise. Next time, the writer director should get out there and try to be on his edge of creativity. He has the ability, but he's seems very restricted. Let's see where this man will take us next.

The insecure Diana (Ellen van der Koogh) and her husband Julian (Danny de Kok) schedule to spend the weekend with an unknown couple experienced in swing in the house of Diana's parents that are traveling. They welcome the gorgeous Alexandra (Nienke Brinkhuis) and her husband Timo (Joep Sertons); however the sexy and attractive Alex inhibits the repressed Diana even more and excites Julian. Along the night, Timo discloses his real feelings about Alex and on the next morning, the relationship of the couple is tested.

The low-budget "Swingers" is a surprisingly good movie. I was expecting to see an erotic and shallow drama but the story indeed has substance and brings a good discussion about the theme with believable characters. The stylish movie presents a non-aggressive eroticism and witty dialogs. This is the first film that I watch with Nienke Brinkhuis and her beauty and sensuality are impressive. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Swingers"

After having had it's release in Belgium, the press is mostly very positive about this film. Regardless of what other comments say, they are unanimous about the acting... it's good! The characters are believable, the dialog is witty and to the point. All this from actors who are either unknown, or known from the more 'light' televisionseries. Notable magazines like HUMO or newspapers like DE STANDAARD recognize the shortcommings on the technical features (it has been shot on video) but they give the story, actors and makers all the credit for delivering a suprisingly good Dutch film. Swingers is a "contemporary, wellmade and subtle piece of cinema" and they are "pleasantly surprised"

Judge for yourself.

Despite the title and context, there's not really a lot of sex in this (and certainly no hardcore).

It is, however, quite an interesting drama capturing the interplay of the four characters in all the various combinations, with periodic naked episodes.

As such, it examines the state of contemporary marriage from a variety of perspectives and could thus be a "conversation starter" if seen as a couple or in a group.

Personally, I found three of the actors to be pretty convincing with the fourth being a bit static - so for a single-location, small cast film (presumably thus low-budget) it's not bad.

Worth a look.