Line 32 (2012)

Directed by: Maarten Treurniet | 400 minutes | drama | Actors: Waldemar Torenstra, Marcel Musters, Sigrid ten Napel, Leona Philippo, Mohammed Azaay, Hans Kesting, Aziz Akazim, Anouar Ennali, Mahjoub Benmoussa, Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Peter Blok, Elsie de Brauw, Reinout Bussemaker, Maartje Remmers, Tobias Nierop Charlie Chan Dagelet, Jeroen Willems, Steve Hooi, Orlando do Brito, Annemarie Prins, Eric van der Donk, Maureen Tauwnaar, Porgy Franssen

The multicultural issue may temporarily be on the second political plan now that an economic crisis has emerged, but it remains dormant in the background. The Dutch drama series ‘Lijn 32’ (2012) cleverly capitalizes on this. For eight episodes, we are working towards the fatal morning when the Amsterdam bus 32 crashes. The ten passengers each have their own story and all those storylines come together at the end of the ride. Screenwriters Marnie Blok, Karen van Holst Pellekaan and Maarten Lebens created appealing, lifelike characters that you can easily empathize with. They consciously do not take sides and thus avoid a pitfall that you can easily step into. The emphasis is therefore less on the political and more on the human, dramatic aspect.

The events in ‘Lijn 32’ are started by a bomb in the town hall of Amsterdam. It is a fake bomb, placed by teenagers Nadir (Aziz Akazim) and Omar (Anouar Ennali), two perfectly integrated boys of Moroccan descent who feel cornered by the incendiary language used by right-wing populist politician Thomas de Zwart (Reinout Bussemaker). ) into the air, including in the popular talk show ‘Kroon op de Avond’ by presenter Klaas Kroon (Peter Blok). The fact that this is a fake bomb, however, remains private, because the internal security service ‘wants to set things on edge’. The diligent detective Hein (Waldemar Torenstra), who has no idea what his bosses have concocted, sets out on his own to investigate the origin of the bomb. He gets help from George (Marcel Musters), the owner of a cigar shop in a multicultural neighborhood who, as an ‘observant and concerned citizen’, wants to contribute to a safe society, but goes into paranoia.

‘Line 32′ looks away very pleasantly. The themes are recognizable, the actors good to excellent and the storylines compelling. As in any mosaic story, not every story comes out equally well. A very elderly couple (Annemarie Prins and Erik van der Donk) languishing in poverty and fear forms a beautiful portrait in itself, but seems a bit dragged in here. The storyline around Dennis (Tobias Nierop) and Pauline (Charlie Chan Dagelet), a young couple who gets into financial trouble, doesn’t really match the main theme. Some of these storylines could have been left out to sharpen the focus and give the series a less fragmented character. As is often the case with series that target a wide audience, the emotions of the viewer are regularly played with. But the majority of viewers will be happy to be manipulated by this exciting drama series, directed by Maarten Treurniet (‘The Heineken kidnapping’, 2011).

‘Line 32’ may not always be subtle and not all storylines are equally relevant, but the makers have their heart in the right place. The series has the great advantage that each character is left in its value. Thanks to a great cast (culminating in an emotional scene between acting cannons Peter Blok and Elsie de Brauw) and a compelling and cleverly conceived plot, ‘Lijn 32’ has an addictive effect on its viewers. If you’ve seen one episode, keep watching.