I hug you with a thousand arms (2005)

Directed by: Willem van de Sande Bakhuyzen | 110 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Tijn Docter, Carice van Houten, Catherine ten Bruggencate, Karina Smulders, Halina Reijn, Tygo Gernandt, Johnny de Mol, Maaike Neuville, Maartje Remmers, Tjebbo Gerritsma, Jaap Spijkers, Sylvia Poorta, Rick Nicolet, Mark Rietman, Han Kerckhoffs, Kees Boot, Lukas Dijkema, Barry Atsma, Arjan ten Broeke, Phillip Merillo, Francisco Rodriquez, Carlos Vico, Catarina Costa

‘I embrace you with a thousand arms’ is based on the book of the same name by Ronald Giphart and was completed by Van de Sande Bakhuyzen just before his death. The director died of cancer and is still intensively involved with the film. After his penultimate ‘Live!’ so a new (and of course last) film from his hand. This fact will certainly influence the way visitors will watch this film. The book itself also has an autobiographical perspective, the death of Ronald Giphart’s mother was partly the basis for this book.

The film deals very clearly with the themes of existence. The time of the ‘fast’, superficial and smooth life in which pleasure, fun and sex largely determine whether life is fun (the ‘fun’) and the sadness of death that casts a shadow over life.

Both themes can be found in the storyline of the film, the first part of the film is mainly fast-paced, tightly edited, with the necessary ‘functional’ nudity and the circle of friends chasing glamor and glitter. This part of the film is mainly the part of the superficial types, their characters are barely developed. Until then, the film has mainly been a feel-good movie.

Halfway through, however, the tone changes, the story takes a different turn. The mother’s illness and the accompanying symptoms will then play a dominant role and the mother announces that she wishes to have euthanasia. The story cannot avoid some light melodrama then, such as the nursing process of the mother and the doctor who sings a song from Pisuisse ‘Mens dare to live’. Could the director’s state of mind have had an influence here?

In ‘I hug you with a thousand arms’ a number of storylines are intertwined and regularly jumps in time are made. That makes the storyline sometimes a bit jumpy and sometimes a bit predictable. Tijn Docter’s play (as Giph) is believable, but he doubts a lot. We see some ‘overacting’ at several moments in the film, it is sometimes a bit too thick. Carice van Houten plays a convincing role as Samarinde. The others also play their part of the ‘fast boys and girls’ with verve.

‘I embrace you with a thousand arms’, despite the sadness, remains on the light side and does not dig too deep. For lovers of a typical Dutch product, it is certainly worth a trip to the movie theater, the laughter and tears are both abundantly present.