Polleke (2003)

Directed by: Ineke Houtman | 97 minutes | family | Actors: Liv Stig, Mamoun Elyounoussi, Daan Schuurmans, Halina Reijn, Frank Lammers, Helmert Woudenberg, Marja Kok, Rosa Boesten, Vanessa Coco Morales, Odin Delver, Chaib Massaoudi, Nuzha Salah, Susan Visser, Veerle Dobbelaere

The film ‘Polleke’ is based on the children’s books of the same name by Guus Kuijer about the eleven-year-old girl Polleke. It is not the first time that director Ineke Houtman draws her inspiration from Kuijer’s books. Two television series about Madelief’s adventures appeared in 1994, after which the best-known book from the Madelief series, ‘Krassen in hettafelblad’, was shown in Dutch cinemas in 1998. In ‘Polleke’, Houtman shows once again that she is capable of balancing drama, humor and tension on the silver screen. Because of this combination and thanks to the most charming acting by debutants Liv Stig (Polleke) and Mamoun Elyounoussi (Mimoen), this film is well worth seeing, even for adults. The story is moving but also light-hearted and has a current topic as its starting point. The film shows how two young, innocent lovers from different cultural backgrounds are confronted with the harsh reality. In a subtle way, the young viewers are introduced to the problems that the differences in culture entail. Heavier scenes are interspersed with a good dose of humor.

Fun roles are reserved for Frank Lammers and Halina Reijn, who respectively play the boring, clumsy, yet strict master Wouter and the chaotic, licentious mother of Polleke in a comical way. Initially, the choice for Daan Schuurmans as Polleke’s father seems remarkable, since with his appearance he would even be too young for a young father. But the way he portrays his character as a drug addict makes up for a lot. The pace of the film is very fast because the main character goes through a lot and because the characters are so different in character. Afterwards it can be concluded that the structure of the story is well put together; the storylines come together and ensure a coherent whole. The film ends well in a way, but leaves it in the middle what the future holds for the characters. Polleke is good for more than an hour and a half of entertainment and can subsequently serve as a basis for a good conversation about cultural differences in urban society.