Loft (2010)

Directed by: Antoinette Beumer | 110 minutes | thriller | Actors: Barry Atsma, Fedja van Huêt, Jeroen van Koningsbrugge, Gijs Naber, Chico Kenzari, Anna Drijver, Sallie Harmsen, Katja Herbers, Kim van Kooten, Hadewych Minis, Lies Visschedijk, Carolien Spoor, Charlie Chan, Jamie Grant

On October 22, 2008, the Flemish thriller ‘Loft’ premiered, unaware that it would break all visitor records in the following months. The ingenious plot, the combination of eroticism and crime, the ensemble of top actors and the tasteful design pushed ‘Koko Flannel’ from its first position as the best-attended Flemish film of all time. Reviews were rumbling and a Hollywood remake seemed only a matter of time.

The fact that the Hollywood remake did not materialize may be due to the holes in the plot or the many twists and turns the story takes at the end. There is now a Dutch remake, a remake that can be justified on commercial grounds: the original was never released in the Netherlands and the story can easily be moved from Antwerp to Amsterdam.

With that Dutch film adaptation, ‘Loft’ still received a Hollywood treatment. The subtlety of the Flemish original makes way for a robust Dutch approach. Where the Flemish film opens with a mysterious fall and a walk on the quay, the remake opens with a banging shock effect and a crossing in a motorboat. Where the Flemish film ends with melancholy sounds, the Dutch one ends with a superficial pop song. Where the Flemish character Anja is an everyday ugly, the Dutch Anja is a caricature weighing more than a hundred kilos in a bright red dress. And so on, et cetera.

That coarser approach also applies to acting and dialogue. The Dutch dialogues seem too often plucked from crime novels. Nice on paper, but they regularly hurt your ears. Colorful language and subtle acting gave the Flemish characters credibility, making it easy to empathize with them. This hardly works with the Dutch characters. As a result, the Flemish ‘Loft’ was an exciting crime drama, while its Dutch counterpart is a pure thriller.

Does this make this remake a failure? Far from. Even now you are in suspense for two hours, you go from one successful plot twist to another, you enjoy tasteful sex and an exquisite ensemble of actors. The Dutch ‘Loft’ also offers two hours of ingenious entertainment. Which leads to the conclusion you usually save for a Hollywood remake: great movie, but the original was better.