Review: Find that stupid bitch and throw her in the river (2017)

Directed by: Ben Brand | 87 minutes | drama | Actors: Nino den Brave, Senna Fokke, Wim Opbrouck, Koen Kreule, Mirre Licht, Yassine Kji, Dioni Jurado, Daniel Omosebi, Marieke van der Meulen, Lieselot van Honschoten, Caitlin van Ankeren, Kylie Blokland, Matthijs van der Linden, Jenisha Kerk , Mikki Scheper, Kaj Bisschop, Juul Wijdekop, Adnane Aseban, Freedom K. Tarley, Jasper Ahmadian Yazdi, Alexander Mahrez Mrouki, Steef Cuijpers, Jeroen Phaff, Henk Delaere, LeonidVlassov, Loes Schnepper, Chante Esajas, Laura Branderhorst, Floris Beijersbergen, Michel Shack

‘Find that stupid bitch and throw her in the river’ is about the family of Wim (Wim Opbrouck), who, together with his fifteen-year-old son Remco (Nino den Brave) and fourteen-year-old daughter Lizzy (Senna Fokke), are trying to make ends meet . Besides his regular job, clearing retirement homes, Wim runs an illegal puppy trade, where he can use the help of his two children. The passports are forged and the puppies from Eastern Europe are put on the marketplace. Asking prices of 1250 euros are very common. Remco and Lizzy are responsible for dumping the sick puppies. During one of those jobs (where heads or tails determine who can do the dirty work) Remco films his sister throwing the puppies into the water.

Meanwhile, Lizzy is auditioning for a talent show, she wants to become a famous singer. Remco would also like to put more in the spotlight. He is seen as a loser by his friends and a comment from one of them about a popular YouTube account gives him the idea to put the video he made of Lizzy on his YouTube channel. Initially that yields almost no views, but when Remco submits the video to Reddit, things suddenly go fast. He proudly shows the video to his friends, but they hardly believe that Remco is the filmmaker. Remco panics when it appears that death threats are being made to his sister – despite her identity not yet being established. An online witch hunt ensues and every scene in which Lizzy and Wim still seem to know nothing about it, the tension rises. But of course the monkey eventually comes out of the sleeve and in no time the whole thing escalates.

“Find that stupid bitch and throw her in the river” is a haunting film about a bunch of teenagers who really do nothing but what “normal” teenagers do – apart from the horrific puppy murders – and what the terrible consequences are. There are numerous real-life examples of teenagers sharing something on the Internet and unable to estimate the consequences. But just like in “Nerve” (2016), “Find that stupid bitch and throw her in the river” is also about how we deal with that as an internet consumer. Director Ben Brand, who wrote the screenplay for this powerful Telefilm together with Ilse Ott, puts his finger on the sore spot and shows that “the people” are no better than those who are pointed out to. And for those who do not believe that this can happen in the Netherlands, it is time to open their eyes. That makes this Telefilm even more oppressive.

The whole cast is excellent, but Nino den Brave (who once made his debut as the adorable Max in “Frog Drill”) is head and shoulders above the rest. Then full of bravado, then so vulnerable. His game is very believable. In this way you give him and his sister a better environment in which to grow up.

“Find that stupid bitch and throw her in the river” is based on a true story, by the way. In 2010 a similar video appeared on the internet. The scene in which Lizzy throws the puppies into the river is terrifyingly cleverly recreated. Thick recommendation.