Bluebird (2004)

Directed by: Mijke de Jong | 76 minutes | drama | Actors: Elske Rotteveel, Kees Scholten, Elsie de Brauw, Jaap Spijkers, Bright O’Richards

Between all the overly hyped Vet Hard’s and Costa’s of this world, a pearl like this ‘Bluebird’ silently appears in the budget bins of your favorite DVD dealer. This film made for television is everything the former films are not: intelligent, oppressive and penetrating.

The story behind ‘Bluebird’ is as simple as it is appealing. Director Mijke de Jong has made a film about bullying. In this story you will meet Merel (Rotteveel), a sweet and caring girl who loves her disabled brother (Scholten) dearly. Merel has two wonderful parents and school is also going well. Suddenly, her life changes all of a sudden when a number of classmates start bullying her unexpectedly. Merel changes from a carefree, spirited teenager into a depressed, dejected teenager who slowly no longer knows what to do. She will take it out on others.

The way in which De Jong has portrayed his story is very cleverly done. The film is set up in such a way that it feels like you are a voyeur. The camera is close to Merel’s skin and you always get the idea as if you can almost touch her.

By working with this kind of intimate camera angles, the action on the screen comes very close. Later in the film, when Merel is harassed by a number of classmates, the camera is in the middle of the bullies. As a viewer you want to intervene. You want to help Merel, but you can’t. You feel powerless. And that is exactly what Merel must feel.

Of course, a strong camera setup alone does not work to involve the viewer in the story. If you can’t empathize with the (main) characters, you don’t care whether or not a film works with penetrating camera angles. De Jong knows how to please his audience, because the casting of the young Elske Rotteveel is a bull’s eye. In a natural way, the girl portrays a somewhat insecure teenager for whom you can muster nothing but sympathy. The scenes in which Rotteveel can be seen together with her film brother Scholten are especially beautiful and endearing.

The special thing about ‘Bluebird’ is that De Jong manages to shed light on the consequences of bullying without a raised finger or an unnecessary amount of text and explanation. You see Merel slowly going under. Suddenly she is all alone. She doesn’t dare tell her parents, because she doesn’t want to burden them. The only person she can find support in is her handicapped brother. But he is just going to a new school, far away from his sister.

The isolation and despair of a bullied child are excellently portrayed by Rotteveel. You can see from the girl’s eyes and attitude that she is starting to feel increasingly unhappy. Due to the physical game, few words are needed and you are spared the (nowadays almost) mandatory voice-overs.

Rotteveel gets good counterplay from the other actors. As mentioned, the chemistry between her and Scholten is very nice to see. But Spijkers and De Brauw also convince as loving parents who are powerless against the increasingly distant daughter. The bullies are also portrayed well and realistically by the young actors. So it is possible: to make a film with young child actors who are not terribly annoying or overly cute for a change.

Due to the observational style of director De Jong, the film has become very heavy. ‘Bluebird’ is therefore definitely not an easy thing to do. For anyone who has ever been bullied, this film will be absolutely confrontational and nasty. You see how young people can destroy each other for no reason. You don’t see much of the consequences of bullying itself, so all the more. And because you get to know Merel as a sweet and caring child, it hurts to see how she slowly changes into a distant and unhappy young adult.

So far nothing but praise for this ‘Bluebird’. But this film also has flaws. The soundtrack is incorporated into the film in a rather strange way. The music is always interrupted in a rather abrupt way. And that’s not all. Unfortunately, De Jong wanted to close the end of the film a bit too cheerfully. The misplaced, carefree ending detracts from the film.

But don’t let that stop you from seeing this Dutch film. Such intense and well-acted films with such class are rare in today’s film industry. Besides a subtle indictment against bullying, ‘Bluebird’ is above all an impressive and beautiful film.