Daydreaming (2018)

Directed by: Yim Brakel | 10 minutes | short film, drama | Actors: Juna de Leeuw, Luciano Hiwat, Mees Fernandes, Adam El Bakhti, Hilary Kyeremeh, Mimoun Ouled Radi, Lucretia van der Vloot, Mike Lebanon

‘We are all the same; the people. Each on his own planet. Light years apart.’ With that message, Jonathan (Mees Fernandes) immediately outlines the starting point of the NTR Kort! film ‘Daydreams’ (2018). Because even though we are more or less in the same boat, we all look at it differently. The film revolves around Zoë (Hilary Kyeremeh), who is unable to attend school due to a serious illness. What exactly she has among the members is not revealed, but there is no doubt that it is serious. In order not to fall too far behind her classmates, she follows the lessons from the hospital via an image connection. Her absence has repercussions on the other children at this secondary school. Three of them try to put into words what the situation around Zoë is doing to them. Jonathan is secretly in love with her and misses her the way a hopeless romantic would. To his surprise, another boy, Yahya (Adam El Bakhti), has been chosen as Zoe’s buddy – ‘I’m sure it’s because I’m the strongest’ – and has to hook up the monitor and camera at school so she can watch the lesson from the hospital. to follow. And then there’s Egon (Luciano Hiwat), Zoe’s older brother, who is plagued by his sister’s illness with thoughts of life and death and for whom his indifferent demeanor is a cover for the fear and pain he feels inside.

Daydreaming was written and directed by Yim Brakel. In just ten minutes, he offers us a glimpse into the innermost souls of three teenagers. Through voice-over we get to hear what is going through them; the monologues are sometimes poetic in tone, but unmistakably show how the boys reflect on the illness of their classmate/sister. Because what it does to you when someone so close to you is so seriously ill is different for everyone. No matter how much you have in common, everyone lives in their own little world (on their own planet, if you will) and reacts in their own way to something so violent. Jonathan doesn’t understand Egon’s seeming callousness. And why of all people Yahya was given the important task of taking care of Zoë’s image connection, who doesn’t care about her at all? It doesn’t occur to him that Egon’s attitude is a way of protecting himself from the pain and grief, and that Yahya’s self-confidence is getting a huge boost by finally making a difference to someone. ‘Daydreaming’ offers an interesting psychological look into the human soul; just think about the extent to which you yourself are ready with judgments and opinions about others. We all reason from our own vision, but that doesn’t make someone else’s vision any less important, valuable or sincere.

With ‘Daydreams’, Yim Brakel made a fascinating, dreamy triptych about three young people who each deal with the illness of their classmate/sister in their own way. With solid acting by the mostly young cast; in tiny bits we see the experienced actors Mimoun Ouled Radi, Lucretia van der Vloot and Mike Lebanon, among others.