Mowgli & Fidel (2010)

Directed by: Desiree Duwel | 10 minutes | short film | Actors: Teun Kuilboer, Robert de Hoog

Robert de Hoog was not yet twenty when he won a Golden Calf in 2008 for his role in the telefilm ‘Skin’ by Hanro Smitsman. If you consider that ‘Den Helder’, in which De Hoog also plays the leading role, received a Golden Calf for best television drama that same year, you know that this boy could well become a very big one. De Hoog is making good progress and can be seen in films such as ‘Schemer’, inspired by the murder of Maja Bradarić (by Smitsman again, 2010), ‘The Domino Effect’ about the credit crisis (Paula van der Oest, 2010), ‘Me & Mr. Jones’ about Joran van der Sloot (Paul Ruven, 2011) and ‘170 Hz’ about two deaf teenagers (Joost van Ginkel, 2011). Together with Teun Kuilboer, who is six years his senior – with whom he also played in ‘Skin’ and ‘Den Helder’ – De Hoog can be seen in the short film ‘Mowgli and Fidel’ (2010) by Janneke van Heesch. The two actors also contributed to the screenplay by Desiree Duwel.

Mowgli (Kuilboer) and Fidel (De Hoog) are about to go on a world tour. A big event that makes Fidel think about what he really wants. Does he really feel like giving up his home and hearth for such a long time? Can’t wait to leave, Mowgli can’t understand why his buddy is stalling. At first he can’t get out of the bath, then he hesitates to get dressed and pack his bags, then he refuses to get in the taxi to Schiphol. And then there’s the cat, which he can hardly leave behind. He tries in every possible way to postpone the trip. His reluctance grows by the minute. It seems as if he is already homesick at Schiphol. What really stops him from traveling carefree?

‘Mowgli and Fidel’ is carried by the strong acting of the two protagonists. While Kuilboer is the more extroverted of the two, De Hoog is the insider. What is on his mind, why does he suddenly no longer feel like going on a world tour? And more importantly, why does he only show his reluctance when they are about to leave. Or is Mowgli so preoccupied with himself that he didn’t realize it before? Kuilboer and De Hoog play the two friends (or brothers or lovers, that is not clear) in a convincing way; you want to see more of them, know more about them. The fact that the story feels a bit ‘unfinished’ afterwards is a small side note that should not be left unmentioned. Take it as a compliment: ‘Mowgli and Fidel’ could very well form a fascinating starting point for a film that lasts much longer than the ten minutes that we are presented here.