Anna (2007)

Directed by: Eric Oosthoek | 75 minutes | drama | Actors: Jelka van Houten, Jochum ten Haaf, Monic Hendrickx, Maryam Hassouni, Ids van der Krieken, Joep van der Geest, Spinvis, Hilde Breda

The film ‘Anna’ starts with a note from Brecht to her brother Stijn. “Dear brother. Am lucky. Said yes!” This note is the beginning of the movie but also the end of the story. Brecht says goodbye to her brother who has taken such good care of her and she tells him that she is happy. That the bond between this brother and sister is very close is immediately clear from this note. The title of the film points to Anna, the woman who seems to stand between the two. At the same time, she is also the one who binds them together and who has made the bond stronger. Eric Oosthoek deserves a big ten for this Oscar-worthy masterpiece.

What’s up with this mysterious Anna? Flashbacks make it clear what happened a year ago. A year before Stijn became so quiet and withdrawn and lived in his own world. A year before Brecht started having trouble speaking. And a year before the brother/sister love between Brecht and Stijn took this special form.

Stijn and Brecht’s parents were married for 25 years. Brecht was madly in love and they were a standard happy family. When they drive home after the party and hit the beautiful Anna with the car, this happiness comes to an end. Their parents die and Brecht and Stijn have to live together with their grief. A year later, they are still coping when Anna suddenly reappears in their lives. She causes a lot of confusion in their lives, but they need this to close everything and become happy again.

‘Anna’ is a film in which little is spoken but a lot is said. The story is told to the viewer with facial expressions, emotions and other events. Director Eric Oosthoek has given the viewer a helping hand to interpret the film. You can create your own story, but the story that the director wants to tell you keeps coming forward through subtle hints. The experienced film viewer may soon realize the course of the story and the mutual relationships. The less experienced film viewer will only realize at the last moment how the story works or maybe not at all. This is not a bad thing, the film has enough beautiful moments to make it worthwhile, such as the beautiful acting of the well-known ‘sister of Carice’, Jelka van Houten, who in this film is certainly not inferior to her talented sister. The surroundings are also beautiful, the peace and conviviality of the countryside where everyone knows each other give the film an intimate atmosphere. The chemistry between Stijn and Brecht radiates from the canvas. Monic Hendrickx as Anna is convincing as a real femme fatale.

What exactly is a good movie? What makes a movie worth watching or what entitles a movie to a maximum number of stars? A film should touch and captivate you in the first place. It must be well put together and beautiful to look at. He should not be too long-winded. The story should be well developed with good actors and a nice environment. But the most important criterion for judging a film is to see whether the film is repeatable. Would you like to watch it again and if so, would it be as special as the first time? This is certainly the case with the film ‘Anna’. And that is special, especially for a Dutch telefilm.