In Orange (2004)

Directed by: Joram Lürsen | 90 minutes | drama, comedy, family | Actors: Yannick van der Velde, Thomas Acda, Wendy van Dijk, Peter Blok, Dionicho Muskiet, Maaike Polder, Sterre Herstel, Porgy Franssen, Ton Kas, Erik van Muiswinkel, Pim Muda, Lucretia van der Vloot, Chris Comvalius

‘In Oranje’ is not only a story about a young footballer who wants to reach the top, but also a story about the inseparable bond between a boy and his father. In addition, the film is widely announced as a Dutch family film. This sounds like a film that wants to be a lot at once, but ‘In Oranje’ scores on all fronts.

The film was made with great enthusiasm and as a result, director Joram Lürsen and screenwriter Frank Ketelaar effortlessly get away with implausibility in the story and with the frequent sentiment that is not shunned anywhere.

The story is told almost like a fairy tale, whereby the existing fairytale laws are also violated if the story asks for it. For example, father Erik, who comes back from the dead to prepare his son for the big job, is tangible – something ghosts have never been – and yet he is only visible to his son Remco as they train in broad daylight. A daring approach that, however, turns out to be successful.

However, it is precisely the aspects that make the film so charming, especially for adults. There are many clever jokes in the script and in the dialogues, but as a film for children ‘In Orange’ is a fairly heavy story about a family that loses their father and has a hard time dealing with it. However, there is undoubtedly plenty to enjoy for young viewers as well.

The young protagonist Yannick van der Velde (coincidentally the son of Jean van der Velde, the director of ‘All Stars’, that other Dutch football film) also wears the film well. The biggest compliment he can make is that he manages not to let himself be played off the screen by Thomas Acda, who in his role as a fanatical football father can really lose his whole soul and bliss. Moreover, if Acda ever has children playing football himself, one can bet that he will be exactly as sidelined in matches as in this film.

Since ‘In Oranje’ tells several stories at once, the key scene of the film is actually not even the inevitable international match, but the very special training that Remco’s father takes him to just before the match. This is where the love for football, which plays an important role in the story but never becomes dominant, comes out most beautifully. In addition, the other red threads of the film, namely the father-son relationship (Remco only seems to accept the death of his father after this), the Rocky-like morality about perseverance and the fairytale-like narrative form come together well here and the film falls. suddenly like a puzzle.

Whatever our boys are going to do this summer in Portugal, and whatever effect that may or may not have on the audience numbers of this film, this sympathetic film certainly deserves to be a success. In fact: the players of Orange should take an example from the passion, inspiration and fun with which this film was made!