Boven is het stil

Nanouk Leopold adapted Gerbrand Bakker's novel 'Boven is het stil' into a screenplay and directed this cinematic masterpiece IT'S ALL SO QUIET – a perfect balance between silence and the spoken word that results in one of the most tender examinations of life, death and love and the interstices few others have revealed.

Leopold's decision to interplay nature as a place where all animals including man find shelter, food, caring and love makes this visual and very quiet film indelible in the memory.

Helmer (Jeroen Willems) is a single farmer in his fifties who lives with and cares for his aged, bedridden father (Henri Garcin) in the Dutch countryside. His working days are marked by the visits of milk collector Johan (Wim Opbrouck), a man of his own age for whom Helmer holds a secret fascination – a mutual need is evident but unspoken. One day Helmer decides to renovate the house, buying himself a new double bed and moving his father upstairs. His life gains even more momentum when adolescent farmhand Henk (Martijn Lakemeier) is hired to assist, understudies Helmer's techniques for farming and adds some needed cleaning and caring for the farm: he also finds Helmer attractive and attempts to be physical one night – the result of which changes Helmer's thoughts and desires. In this battle of wills between two powerful personalities the father, once domineering and now in decline, and the son, preparing to live his own life when his father is gone what is left unsaid takes precedence over dialogue. But when unexpected words do come to Helmer late in the film, their quiet force is indisputable. The scene when his father finally dies with Helmer at his side is inordinately touch in it very quiet manner. Henk has left, Helmer returns to his farming chores, and at his father's burial, Johan returns and we are left to wonder what will change.

Leaves, cornfields, barren trees, a raven, sheep, cows and silence make this thoughtful paean to life immensely satisfying, Very Highly Recommended.

The work of the Dutch director Nanouk Leopold isn't know here at all. Perhaps that's because the films she makes are not only uncommercial but also uncompromising. "It's all so quiet", which she made in 2013, is, for the most part, a depressingly grim study of loneliness and sexual repression as well as of old age and family relations, in this case between a father and son. Helmer is a farmer living with, and caring for, his old and infirm father. There doesn't appear to be much love or affection between them; it's as if Helmer can't wait for his father to die.

Nothing much happens. Much of the time we simply watch Helmer go about his daily routine, at first alone and then with the help of handsome young farmhand Henk. There is very little communication between any of the characters; this is a very austere picture, shot in bleached colours that are almost monochromatic. Once upon a time you might have said Bresson or Dryer could have made this, (Helmer also keeps donkeys), and it isn't called "It's all so quiet" for nothing. This is a film in which the sounds of silence dominate. Not easy viewing then, but remarkable nevertheless.

I saw this film at the Berlinale 2013 film festival, as part of the Panaroma Special section. It was the world premiere, in a large venue with over 1,500 booked seats. Director Nanouk Leopold appeared on stage before the screening, and was offered the opportunity for an introductory address. She refrained from talking about the film itself. Instead she told that her last film was seen by 3,000 people in total, and now she was already halfway. A significant part of the crew was present and called on stage after the screening. There was only one notable exception: Jeroen Willems, who played the main character, but he died last December. There was no Q&A (but the festival website contains a link to an enlightening 47 minutes video of the press conference).

I would not be surprised when many viewers nowadays will say that not much is happening in this film. There are a few notable events, spread evenly over the running time, mixed with long intervals of boring farming routine and domestic chores. Father and son don't talk much. There are other dialogs, also limited to the bare essentials, with children from the neighborhood, the cattle merchant, the milk truck driver, and on some sparse social events. A woman living nearby brings an occasional cake, for all of us clearly with hidden intentions, but nothing comes out of it. Contrary to what would be a normal thing to do in a small community, people that come by are not asked to come inside for some coffee.

All of this tells us something, albeit not very outspoken. Notable quote from the father: "Why do you hate me so much?" From time to time we get some hints what could be the cause of their difficult relationship. It may have something to do with beatings when a child. This came up when Helmer talked about the hands of the farm help, being very different from the hands of his father that were only used for beating. On another occasion came about that Helmer's brother Geert died young (drowned), and that Helmer assumed that the father felt being stuck with the wrong son (father seemed not to remember this, but the suggestion is very clear). In small bites we get to build the underlying picture, if only when we allow ourselves to pick up the pieces lying around.

The slow pace of the whole film nicely blends in with farm life as it is in reality, at least as it is for a dying breed of small scale farmers. I recognize this way of life from my own youth. The farm where I grew up, was sold by my father just before the time came to scale up the business, which was something he did not want to at his age. Farming at that time had its peak moments of course, like the harvest, but most of the year was a tedious daily routine. For me it was nice and quiet way to pass the day, something to plunge in when my parents were on a well deserved holiday. Such a small period of a few weeks was very well bearable to experience a life seemingly far away from the city. Life on a farm as portrayed in this film does remind me of those days, very well done I must say, luckily avoiding the rosy view mostly associated with country life.

The last conversation between father and son before his death seems to have more contents than the total of all earlier conversations they ever had, at least that is the impression left to us. This is the moment that much of what happened earlier comes together. It underlines in hindsight several things that went past us, allowing us afterwards to connect the dots. Is it a humane thing to do to us, viewers, to postpone this until the final scene? It is, if you allow this film a fair chance to tell the story the way it is told here.

Anyway, I gave the maximum score for the audience award when leaving the theater. Is it due to the remembrance of the quiet life on a farm when I was young, which was certainly triggered while seeing this movie? But even when I leave that out, we still have a compelling view on someone changing to a different person, freeing himself from his past and what others expect from him.

This is a Dutch German co production presented in Dutch with an original title of "Boven is het stil". It is about Helmer who is a farmer who lives with his bedridden father. He looks after the farm and the old man with a kind of determined grimace. He seems to shun anything that would make him happy- having created a world for himself where may as well be totally alone.

Then he hires a young helper in the shape of Henk (Martijn Lakemeier – 'the young boy from 'Winter in Wartime'). This seems to bring a change and as well as looking after the farm he starts to think about himself and awakens feelings he is forgetting to suppress.

Now it is hard to say very much about this without spoiling the plot or making it appear to be a bit dull. This is not for action fans or those who like everything spelled out. There are a lot of silences here with little actually happening. This I felt highlighted the lack lustre existence and the loss of opportunity that Helmer is going through. Some would call this 'lyrically paced'; but it does have its moments and it has a brooding quality that made me want to watch it to the end. And I must say I am glad I did, this is one for people who like their films to sometimes be a bit different.

a cold movie. interesting not exactly for story but for wise manner to create its atmosphere. a man and his sick old father. that is all. slices of silence, dialogs as gray circles, the slow story, fragments of past. a movie as support of reflection. or picture of society. or, only, as need of freedom. a film who reminds many for its spirit, images or relation between characters. but it remains different. for the force of suggestion. for beginning and end image, for the love-cruelty-fatigue mixture.a remarkable performance by Jeroen Willems.and inspired music. one of that stories about small ordinary stuffs . in perfect science of exposure.