Darlings! (1984)

Directed by: Ruud van Hemert | 98 minutes | comedy | Actors: Peter Faber, Geert de Jong, Akkemay, Frank Schaafsma, Pepijn Zomer, Olivier Zomer, Erik Koningsberger, Rijk de Gooijer, Arie van Riet, Esgo Heil, Rolf Weber, Cees van Oyen, Sue Ellen Somer, Gerbin Stet

It’s quite annoying when your son strolls through your freshly raked garden with his moped. It is already more annoying when your daughter mows a life-size, meant for you, swear word of three letters in the grass. But a bomb in your bedroom, placed by your own children, makes the camel overflowing. The Gisberts family gets into ‘Sweethearts!’ increasingly in disrepair and a tragic end seems inevitable.

“Honeys!” is a nice comedy with a black edge. For example, director Ruud van Hemert treats you to a series of bullying by children against their parents and vice versa. The mutual rottenness varies from relatively harmless expressions (farting) to pushing the boundaries of decency, such as filling a bottle of whiskey with lukewarm urine. The mutual stings increase, so that the hilarity gradually gives way to shame and understanding for the impotence of both parents. An example is the act of terrorism, meticulously planned by the eldest son (Frank Schaafsma), which almost killed mom and dad Gisberts (Peter Faber and Geert de Jong).

Director Ruud van Hemert, of ‘Honneponnetje’ (1988) and ‘Feestje’ (2004), manages to build up and maintain the tension throughout the film. The opening shot already reveals that father Gisberts has lost control of his children. The family’s spacious villa looks like a picture, but the reality is completely different. Father Gisberts is a helicopter pilot, but the discipline and strict hand of the army are completely lacking in the family. Nothing helps. Even a parental devised policy of “zero tolerance” backfires.

Peter Faber and Geert de Jong wear ‘Sweethearts!’. Faber plays the role of father John Gisberts with gusto. Gradually, father transforms into a sadistic secret that attacks his children à la Jack Nicholson with an ax and all. De Jong excels as a mother for whom the years count. You can’t even speak of a relationship between mother and daughter (Akkemay), especially when both things go to, yes, the same tennis teacher. Rijk de Gooijer is the hot-tempered army commander, who tries to put things in order in the Gisberts house with an old-fashioned hard hand. He snorts, curses, is rude and amiable at the same time. In short: an excellent role for De Gooijer.

There are also comments. The direction, the script and the music are in the hands of director Van Hemert. He should have left the latter in particular to someone else. Admittedly: the ending tune of ‘Honeys!’ is charming, but the synthesizer sounds during the film are rather simplistic. There is also a musical-like interlude towards the end of the film, where daughter Akkemay’s boyfriend surprises her. It’s puzzling how the scene survived editing because it’s totally inappropriate. Lovers of 80s kitsch – buttons on your denim jacket, Modern Talking, Chriet Titulaer – will enjoy it, however.

In 1984, ‘Honeys!’ one of the blockbusters in Dutch cinemas. With more than a million visitors, the film is among the twenty most visited Dutch films of all time. It offers comedic scenes and stands the test of time. Rijk de Gooijer sums it up well when, during a visit to the Gisberts, he compares the relationships between parents and children with the former Berlin border post Checkpoint Charlie. After seeing ‘Sweethearts’, the vision of the family as the cornerstone of society takes on a completely different meaning.