Soul Man (2011)

Directed by: Ben Sombogaart | 84 minutes | drama, family | Actors: Michael Nierse, Reinier Bulder, Bruno Vanden Broucke, Annet Malherbe, Robert de Hoog, Fockeline Ouwerkerk, Hanneke Riemer, Pim Lambeau, Walter Crommelin, Rein Hoffman

Blanco, about eleven years old, has the idea that everything he does has an influence on his environment. You know it: he has to walk on a sidewalk in a special way, exactly when the church bells have struck twelve times lying in your bed, because otherwise…, things like that. So far it has been working fine: Blanco has had few problems in his short life. That is, of course, because he gives his family members secret powers through his special shamanic rituals. He performs these in the tower of the church, where his father, who is a pastor, normally preaches to a very small audience (read: his family and a maximum of three fellow villagers). Blanco is the benjamin from the Zondervan family, which, in addition to the strict pastor’s father, consists of a mother with hairdressing ambitions and his older brother Jacob. His world will soon be turned upside down.

Jacob (relatively small, but good role by Robert de Hoog) gets into a serious argument with father IJsbrand (Reinier Bulder) for reasons that are still unclear and leaves, leaving Blanco devastated. Mother Edna (the always reliable Annet Malherbe) stands squarely behind her adolescent son and continuously blames her husband. It even comes to the point that Edna and Ijsbrand are both going to live elsewhere, because living under one roof is no longer possible! How is Blanco supposed to rectify this? He realizes that the only solution is to perform a magical power trick, for which he needs a black crow feather. When Blanco climbs the church tower as the last part of his incantation, he hears a strange horn: help is on the way!

Ben is convinced: he caused the arrival of handyman Ben Zieleman (whose car bears the slogan “for everything you cannot do yourself”). Ben must solve the problems between his parents! But strangely enough, Ben only has time for other jobs, such as making the sewerage in the village. He pays a lot of attention to the heavily pregnant Mira. Finally, frustrated, Ben decides to resolve the quarrel between his parents and brother himself.

The events in the village of Buijsrogge are just outside reality. Just take the way Blanco dresses up: the crazy hat with the shiny green football shorts over his long (pyjama) trousers; or the magnified way in which the villagers and Zieleman are portrayed. On the other hand, the themes, such as quarreling parents, the conflict between parent and child, wanting to make sure your family is doing well the way Blanco does, and the idea that he has the idea that it is all his fault, are again very recognizable. That drama does ensure that the viewer has the idea for a long time that it will never be okay again. The balance is therefore a bit off now and then, but luckily director Ben Sombogaart has the reins firmly in his hands to complete the story in a way that is satisfying for the viewer.

Zieleman is beautifully designed, with great attention to detail. The acting is strong. Michael Nierse, who we know from (and as) ‘Dik Trom’, holds his own between veterans like Annet Malherbe and Reinier Bulder. The Flemish Bruno Vanden Broucke (‘Loft’, 2008) also impresses with his portrayal of Ben Zieleman: he knows how to make the viewer very curious: is he really the savior whom Blanco has summoned or is it a coincidence? Telefilm ‘Zieleman’ is not a light-hearted children’s film because of its subjects, but lovers of magical realistic stories can indulge in this absurdist film fairy tale.