Medea

I liked the concept of re-telling the story of Medea and Jason at the background of Dutch politics, so I had high expectations for this mini-series. Knowing that controversial director Theo van Gogh was murdered right after finishing this product, made it all the more interesting. So, I gave it a try.

When a renowned politician ( Krijn ter Braak ) is in a tight spot due to accusations of being part of a fraud with building companies, his daughter Medea ( Katja Schuurman )allies with businessman Jason( Thijs Romer) to help her father out. At first their relationship is just based on doing business, but it rapidly transforms into an amorous and passionate affair. Jason, being bored by his success in real estate, wants to use Medea as a leverage to gain the political power to become minister-president( PM )of Holland. By campaigning against the so called '' old politics '' he becomes more and more popular among the voters. But by gaining power he starts to become more estranged from his pregnant wife Medea, and their turbulent relation comes to a radical clash.

I had the entire time the feeling that something was missing. It felt a bit too distant and too artificial for my taste. I never had the idea that I was watching real people of flesh and blood. It didn't help that soap star Katja Schuurmans was in a lead role. She's gorgeous by having the beauty of a Greek goddess, but her acting is stiff and shallow. Thijs Romer did a better job. By slightly over-acting he managed to give the character Jason a certain ''theatrical'' air to it. For some reason that worked splendidly.

The screenplay by Theodor Holman was well-written, though I must say that there are too many side roads to keep the main storyline around Medea and Jason from running smoothly. There is almost no tension. Too much happening in too little time.

This six-part mini-series by the late Theo van Gogh is one of the better television dramas made in the Netherlands in recent years. It premiered in The Hague at December 12th 2004 and received a lot of media coverage because of the untimely death of director Theo van Gogh, and although not a huge hit, it was well-received. It got the TV Spielfilm-Preis at the Cologne Conference in Germany, an honor that previously went to series like ER and The Sopranos, completely different "long-running" series, but nevertheless, well-deserved international attention. Shot on digital video and blown up to film-format, it looks excellent on TV, almost if shot in 35 mm. Not grainy blown-up but crystal-clear.

The screenplay by Theodor Holman is based on the Greek tragedy "Medea" by Euripides, but transferred to the arena of modern Dutch politics. Medea, played by Katja Schuurman, is the daughter of the chairman of the "Eerste Kamer" (the Dutch Senate), who falls in love with the rich and handsome Jason (Thijs Römer), who made a fortune in real estate and is flirting with politics. Her father and many others oppose the affair, but she decides to help him with his campaign to run for prime minister. But Jason has his own agenda and when he estranges his future wife Medea, things get more complicated.

I cannot help but compare the main character Jason to the late Pim Fortuyn, the right-wing Dutch politician who was assassinated in 2003, although they have nothing in common, except their somewhat right-wing conservative political views. The casting of Thijs Römer wouldn't be my first choice for the male lead of Jason. He is too young and too good looking but he plays the role with tremendous vigor and intensity and delivers his lines with an almost classic stamina. Self-confident, an almost stage-like performance. Daring, but somehow it works. Oddly cast, but perhaps it only shows his potential as an actor.

As drama, the first three episodes work the best. It's intriguing with a tense storyline, you're easily sucked in but somehow it runs a little out of steam towards to the end. Too much focus is put on the secondary characters and soon the series becomes too explicit, like the makers weren't sure audiences would be able to follow the storyline. But these are still minor complaints in what is essentially a well made political fable with strong performances and the tension you need for good television drama.

Camera Obscura --- 8/10

I saw this series on a festival in cologne. It won the prize for best fiction. This was absolutely ridiculous. It's a soap, nothing more. The characters are flat and the audience never gets interested in their fates. It also looks bad, even for a series with 200.000 $ budget per episode. The series is also unbelievably boring. The story could maybe be strong enough for a weak 90 minute movie, but stretched on 6 episodes... there's just nothing happening.

If the director was still alive, nobody would care for this crappy piece full of clichés.

Go, waste your time doing something else, but don't watch this junk.

In Finland, the series was shown in the end of the year 2007. The story was fascinating for many reasons. For example, this was the only series I have never seen made in the Netherlands. Also, I did not know the connection with the ancient stories, so I watched it with the "fresh start".

I interpret it (I AM romantic!) in a way that Jason really loved Medea. For this reason, the series and its story and ending worked for me. For me, the characters was deep enough. The thinness of them makes it possible to wonder what the own interpretation "the right one" or why the people did what they did in the series.

I recommend this series. It was good, but however, I would like to make some changes to the story...