Phileine Says Sorry (2003)

Directed by: Robert Jan Westdijk | 95 minutes | drama, comedy, romance | Actors: Kim van Kooten, Michiel Huisman, Hadewych Minis, Tara Elders, Kenan Raven, Mads Wittermans, Leona Philippo, Liesbeth Kamerling, Roeland Fernhout, Kurt Rogiers, Daan Schuurmans, Liz Snoyink, Timothy Smith

It can’t get more Dutch, you think when you see this somewhat overhyped film: girl on a bicycle, boy on the back; horny loose-lipped from the Giphart jargon. What do you do to make up with your boyfriend: peace pipes!

Performed by the energetic proto-student Kim van Kooten, this makes the flopping of ‘Phileine says sorry’ impossible in advance. Yet the brutal polder romance also immediately exposes the film’s weakness, which becomes painfully clear in the New York scenes, which take up almost three quarters. Phileine’s traditional Dutch bravado is completely out of place on the other side of the ocean. Like the Dolly Dots and the Flodder family, she doesn’t belong there. The Americans don’t understand the humor. The high tempo and the flashy animations woven through the image give ‘Phileine says Sorry’ its own allure, but the story is lost outside the sympathetic Utrecht setting, as well as the possibility of turning it into a real Dutch student classic; Phileine becomes a caricature in New York.

The romantic reunion of Phileine and Max should actually be the core of the film, but is overwhelmed by the maddening behavior of the jealous Phileine, which means that Max ends up in a small supporting role. It is almost inevitable that the disarmingly beautiful and talented Van Kooten masters this film. Since Monique van de Ven, no Dutch actress has emerged who combines intimacy and brutality so naturally. In that respect ‘Zusje’ (1995) was a better showcase for her arts, and a better film. “What did you think?” someone said as they walked out of the cinema. “Laugh,” was the reply. That is perhaps the best summary. A great success in Dutch cinemas, but Phileine belongs in a student house toilet and not in the Waldorf Astoria.