Oesters van Nam Kee

OYSTERS AT NAM KEE'S (Pollo de Pimentel - Netherlands 2002).

Based on the novel "De Oesters van Nam Kee" by Kees van Beijnum, who also took credit for the screenplay, the film handles the love story between 18-year old schoolboy Berry (Egbert-Jan Weeber) and the older nightclub dancer and femme-fatale Thera (Katja Schuurman). Berry leads a double-life; for his petty criminal friends he hides the fact that he is from the only upper-class street in the neighborhood, but he trusts Thera and tells her everything (why shouldn't he?). When their love reaches its apogee with the consumption of oysters at the Zeedijk restaurant "De Oesters van Nam Kee", Thera suddenly disappears from Berry's life. Desperate, he seeks the company of his old friends again and things go from bad to worse.

The film got an unprecedented publicity campaign at the time, because the film's female lead Katja Schuurman was gonna shed her clothes, and - at the same time - posed naked in Playboy Magazine as Thera (!), the name of her character in the film. After a pre-screening of the film many people apparently objected against the explicit nudity (reputedly mostly Muslim girls)and the makers immediately caved in and cut a number of scenes. Is it the morally conservative climate that seemed to have taken hold over Dutch society? I'm not sure. Probably a carefully planned publicity stunt, a painful example of self-censorship, or just an exercise in bad taste.

Too bad the whole affair was all for naught, because there's nothing of interest in the entire film. Badly scripted with some awful dialog, and some textbook examples of what NOT to do in a screenplay; for instance, when Berry's inner thoughts in the book are transferred as dialog in the film, with - off course - disastrous and sometimes hilarious results. I'd rather have some gratuitous exploitation flick with Katja Schuurman than this mess. It's a shame really, because she has an undeniable screen presence and is primarily a physical actress. Every movement she makes seems so effortlessly erotic. In this film it becomes tiresome because of the lousy story, but that's not really hers to blame. There must be plenty of roles for her, if you know how to use her talents. Hollywood is full of screen sirens, who are not trained or particularly gifted actresses, but Katja Schuurman is over thirty now, and nobody seems to know how to use her talents.

Kees van Beijnum also wrote the screenplay, but seems to have learned from his mistakes one year later with his work on DE PASSIEVRUCHT (2004) by Karel Glastra van Loon, which turned out to be a very decent film, but with "Oesters" nobody seemed to have the slightest idea what they were doing. I don't want to see his film again.

Camera Obscura --- 2/10

I was one of the happy few to catch the first 35mm screening of Oesters. With recent Dutch "blockbusters" like Costa! and Ik ook van jou, expectations are very high. Recent rumours that some explicit sex scenes were deleted gave it the extra attention it needed. Yes needed cause the movie of its own isn't all that. I can't tell u to much cause the story is so thin i might give away everything and we wouldn't want that would we. In short, boy meets girl, they hit it of, girl wants to end it, boy gets obsessed with girl and does some very stupid things.....that's it really. I didn't like it too much but if you want to see Katja naked it's the movie for u.

5 out of 10

Unlike stated earlier it is not true that nightclubdancer Thera OD's. She has been epileptic since childhood, and she is convinced Berry will leave her because of that, so to prevent that she leaves him before he can hurt her. Also their lifestyle with a lot of drinking and dancing is bringing out the epilepsia, so Thera's mother is also pushing Berry away, and after a while he is unable to contact her. Thera decides what's best for him, and he is unable to understand and goes crazy.

The acting in this movie is great, especially Thera (Katja Schuurman) and Berry (Egbert-Jan Weeber). It is no surprise that in real life they started a (short) romance after filming 'de oesters van Nam Kee', it shows in the movie that something real is going on between them.

Although the fine acting Thera and Berry can't save this movie. The script is not convincing and some of the things happening are so surprising that they become too made up.

And it left me with a sad feeling afterwards. That is one thing where the movie succeeds. To loose your first big and true love is traumatic.

I think this film has been cut to pieces. Having seen the deleted scenes (which contained most of its psychological development) I think the director chose speed over credibility. It seriously damages the movie. Sometimes you just don't have a clue why these characters do what they do. The storyline between Berry and his dad is amputated. The love story lacks development. In a commentary the director says that an uncut version (including even less revealing sex scenes) would've added up to almost three hours. On a DVD I might give that a try.

Although it probably wouldn't make up for the acting. I loved to watch both Katja and Egbert, but they just weren't convincing enough. Except maybe for the bed scenes. But hey, it's a known fact that they were having these both on and off set.

Not a good movie. But I liked looking at it anyway, in a silly Dutch way.

Movie based on the book "Oysters at Nam Kee", giving a look inside the dynamics of the youth in multi-cultural suburbs and done very well.

Good acting, good music, nice shots of Amsterdam.

Story of a 17-year old that goes to college (Gymnasium) but living in an environment of immigrant youth with a much less bright outlook on the future. He runs into a girl who turns out to be a club-dancer. But he falls in love, and so does she.

It's just wonderful, and it should always be this way. But well, most of us are afraid of getting what we really dream of. So are these two young people.