Sinterklaas and the flight through the sky (2018)

Directed by: Armando de Boer | 67 minutes | family | Actors: Wilbert Gieske, Marijn De Valck, Anouk de Pater, Soy Kroon, Yenthe Bos, Beryl van Praag, Job Bovelander, Piet van der Pas, Wim Schluter, Frans de Wit, Tim de Zwart, Bas Hoeflaak, Beatrijs Sluyter, Brian Ligthart , Rubin Ajlounic

In addition to the Sintwereld of the NPO, there has been a commercial variant for years: the Club of Sinterklaas. Still somewhat in the shadow of the “public brother” they are already celebrating their twentieth birthday in 2019. So from that stable comes the film ‘Sinterklaas and the flight through the air’, which will be available on DVD in their jubilee year.

‘Sinterklaas and the flight through the air’ tells the story about the spoiled girl Floor who gets everything her heart desires. All she has to do is ask and her father will take care of everything. She never even puts on her shoe, the only one in the country, because she gets what she asks for anyway. One day she decides she wants to swim in gold coins, chocolate coins that is. Since bakers cannot supply such a quantity, Floor’s father turns to Sinterklaas. But he can’t deliver either, so Floor’s father decides to kidnap Sinterklaas. If that ends well…

The strange thing about the story of ‘Sinterklaas and the flight through the air’ is that with a little longer thinking it is quite a cruel thing. Sinterklaas is kidnapped, is handcuffed in his room and if he says something that his kidnapper does not like, he gets no food. There’s even a ransom note and a cutscene for the Saints to record with instructions (and more) for the coins. And if those coins are not delivered, the father even threatens with more far-reaching measures than just kidnapping. On paper, not necessarily something for a children’s film. Of course the whole is airy and funny, but that doesn’t take all the wind out of the sails. And of course everything will be fine, but the lack of real consequences also feels a bit strange. Even if Floor’s father would only be arrested by a clumsy police officer, but even that is not possible.

What also makes ‘Sinterklaas and the flight through the air’ a lesser film, in addition to the above, is the acting. That’s nothing to write home about. Wilbert Gieske is “advisor” of Sinterklaas in this film, but it feels more like Gieske imitating Sinterklaas than that he comes up with a real version of the Sinterklaas. The level of the other actors is not too good either, with the exception of Marijn de Valck who plays Floor’s father. He puts down a real caricature, which never really becomes threatening or unpleasant, while that danger is really lurking. The film is actually at its strongest at the end when the song that accompanies the film has to be plugged in: that is where the Piet actors seem to feel most in their element.

However, the big question is, is the fact that it’s a lesser film a reason not to watch it? The answer to that is “no”, after all it is a Sinterklaas movie and the target audience will enjoy seeing Sint in a hot air balloon. So if you as a parent are watching, remember that you sometimes have to give something for your children…