Maite Was Here (2009)

Directed by: Boudewijn Koole | 40 minutes | drama, short film | Actors: Abbey Hoes, Anneke Blok, Sigrid ten Napel, Daan van Dijsseldonk, Marwan Kenzari, Wesley van Doorn, Finn Poncin, Dic van Duin, Madelief Blanken, Gelijn Molier, Bep Krug

Fourteen-year-old Maite is in hospital and dies. With a three percent chance of survival, after an untested treatment, an experiment, things are looking particularly bad for the girl. Yet she continues to live, after all, she has no other choice. She runs through the hospital, only to be at the window in time to wave to her friends coming from school, she befriends the slightly older John and chats a lot with her friend Pien, who is about to start dating with the boy she’s in love with. She has pleasant conversations with the nurse, wanders through the hospital at night, paints toenails of sleeping elderly people and leaves behind proof that she has lived with her black marker. “Maite was here”. But how much longer?

The young actress Abbey Hoes (“Lover of Loser”, “SpangaS”) is an excellent choice for this role. The camera moves calmly across her face, where the emotions just barely come to the surface. Although Anneke Blok is somewhat typecast as a mother (after ‘War Winter’ this is already the fourth time in a year that she can be seen as a mother), it must be admitted that she is also perfect for this role. The scene in which they hear the bad news is very poignant: Maite, seemingly impassive, looking ahead and her mother, unable to contain her grief. But equally poignant is the scene in which Maite mistreats a pastry: beautifully shot, only her hand and the battered cake can be seen, with the birthday boy John in the blurred background. The distance between the sick girl and the rest of the world is thus very strikingly portrayed.

Boudewijn Koole was not only responsible for the direction, but also wrote the screenplay for ‘Maite was hier’. It’s a beautiful story, about a brave decision by a teenager who decides to make the most of life. ‘Maite was here’ excels in the camera work, which is very controlled and calm. This creates a certain cadence, so that the film has a peaceful effect, despite the intense subject. Be at peace with your fate, you wish it on every sick person.