My Adventures by V. Swchwrm (2012)

Directed by: Froukje Tan | 86 minutes | drama, family | Actors: Dennis Reinsma, Georgina Verbaan, Hans Dagelet, Rene van ‘t Hof, Marjan Luif, John Buijsman

Q. Swchwrm is no ordinary boy. That starts with his almost unpronounceable fictitious name, which he deliberately chose so that you can fantasize about how you want to pronounce the name. V. Swchwrm (Dennis Reinsma) has a dream to become a writer. He already knows what he wants to write, but he just can’t come up with a first sentence. When one day he encounters his queen (played by Georgina Verbaan), she demands that he write something for her. It must be something that makes her cry.

‘My adventures by V. Swchwrm’ is based on the book of the same name by Toon Tellegen, which was the children’s book week gift in 1998. It must have been an extremely difficult task for director Froukje Tan to turn the separate book, which actually consists of many separate stories and in which it is often difficult to detect a common thread, into a film that is understandable for young and old. Because “My Adventures by V. Swchwrm” itself is anything but a simple children’s story but much more light philosophy through the eyes of a child. Q. Swchwrm struggles with questions like ‘what do you do when you are omnipotent for a second?’ and ‘what is ordinary?’. In his (dream) world, just about anything is possible. For example, he gives his father a camel for his birthday, so that he no longer has to go to work by car and that saves gas. In addition, his queen can fly, without having a propeller on her back. It is certainly a unique world and it makes for a very special film.

It is admirable that Froukje Tan has managed to run a common thread through the story. ‘My Adventures Through V. Swchwrm’ focuses for the most part on V. Swchwrm’s obsession with becoming a writer and the difficulty he has in getting something down on paper because he can’t choose from all of his ideas. Yet the film, just like the book itself, regularly jumps a bit off the bat. One moment V. Swchwrm is walking away dreaming about that first sentence he can’t think of, the next moment he suddenly decides to be invisible (and he is) and then suddenly falls in love. All these different scenes alternate at a fast pace and more than once you have to pay really close attention to keep up with everything.

It is partly because of this that it is difficult to determine for which target group ‘My adventures by V. Swchwrm’ is most attractive. Because although the film, like the book itself, is clearly aimed at young children, the question is to what extent they can follow this film well. Nevertheless, ‘My Adventures by V. Swchwrm’ has become a film that is more than worth watching. It is a very interesting and especially daring film adaptation of what is a rather bizarre children’s book. The fact that the makers succeed in bringing the wonderful world to life in a convincing way is to be commended. In addition, it is refreshing to see a truly original film for once that does not follow the paths already taken. ‘My adventures by V. Swchwrm’ may not have become a masterpiece, but it still manages to convince in its own unique and daring way.