LaHolandesa (2017)

Directed by: Marleen Jonkman | 92 minutes | drama | Actors: Rifka Lodeizen, Guido Pollemans, Koke Santa Ana, Daniel Candia, Rodrigo Soto, Miguel Angel Rodriguez, Christóbal Farias, Paola Lattus, Carolina Diaz, Daniela Pino, Yasna Vasquez, Ocatvio Navarrete, Marie Pestel, Colomba Parragues, Cristian Al Rodoríguez Sandrino, Luis Espinoza Canto, Matias Burgos

The majority of Dutch films can be roughly divided into two categories: on the one hand we find large audience films, with mainly war films and (far too many) romantic comedies, while the other extreme often consists of small, intimate arthouse films. It should be clear that ‘La Holandesa’, filmed entirely in Chile, is a film that belongs to the latter category.

After years of struggling with miscarriages and subsequent depression, Maud (Rifka Lodeizen) and her boyfriend Frank (Guido Pollemans) decided to go rock climbing in northern Chile. Although Maud and Frank slowly seem to grow closer to each other, Maud is again hit by a violent miscarriage. It leads to a new argument, after which Maud on an impulse decides to get on a boat somewhere. In search of herself and on the run from the traumas that haunt her, she travels all over Chile, where she accidentally comes into contact with the Chilean boy ‘Messi’. When Messi’s alcoholic father forces himself on Maud, Maud decides to take care of Messi and take him on a road trip through Chile. While the two are steadily developing a special bond, Messi may be the catalyst forcing Maud to develop a different perspective on motherhood.

These kinds of movies often rely heavily on characters and locations. In that regard, director Marleen Jonkman is lucky that she may have the best Dutch actress of the moment at her disposal in the person of Rifka Lodeizen. Lodeizen already showed in films such as ‘Tonio’ ​​and ‘Disappearance’ and in the series ‘Adultery’ that she possesses a wide range of emotions, and in ‘La Holandesa’ she proves that she can now effortlessly carry a film on her shoulders alone. . Nowhere does her acting become grotesque or overly sentimental: Maud is a woman who struggles with herself, but Lodeizen makes her a character much more than a traumatized, knocked-down woman. Good examples of this are the scenes in which Maud constantly sketches a different life story, in order to present the world a better version of himself.

Although the underlying theme of ‘La Holandesa’ appears to be quite heavy, Jonkman manages to avoid melodramatic pitfalls. This is perhaps best expressed in a scene towards the end of the film, in which Maud talks to a hippie girl about her wish to have children. Lodeizen seems to break down for a moment when she is asked about her wish to have children, until the girl asks her why Maud actually wants children. Maud first states that everyone in her environment has children and cites this as the main reason for her lack, but does not know what to do with the question of why she actually wants children herself. It is an extremely simple but oh so effective scene, which also makes the viewer think about the sometimes compulsive pressure that rests on having children.

Also the dynamics between Maud and Messi (handily played by the Chilean boy Cristóbal Farias) never feels forced or sentimental. Precisely the fact that the bond between the two is mainly based on coincidences surrounds their dynamics with a beautiful natural atmosphere. It is all the more clever that Jonkman does not choose the easy way towards the end, where many of these types of films might have opted for a more satisfying closing piece. In addition, the wonderful music and the beautiful images of the Chilean landscape lift the film to an even higher level, so that as a viewer you sometimes forget to watch a Dutch film.

‘La Holandesa’ has become a beautiful film with a Rifka Lodeizen who performs at the top of her abilities. It is a film that is probably not suitable for the general Dutch public, but it is proof that Dutch filmmakers still have a lot to add, especially in the field of arthouse.