Quicksand (2021)

Directed by: Margot Schaap | 113 minutes | drama | Actors: Hanna van Vliet, Elsie de Brauw, Elin Koleci, Simeoni Sundja, Jade Olieberg, Siem Smit, Aus Greidanus, Wieger Windhorst, Eran Ben-Michael, Manoushka Zeegelaar Breeveld, Cheyenne Haatrecht, Rits Sixma

Margot Schaap’s second feature film begins in calm waters, somewhere on idyllic Texel. Suze (Hanna van Vliet) and Luukas (Simeoni Sundja) are well organized and provide a safe home for their daughter Juul. But there also turns out to be quicksand on their island, something you can just swallow. Suze’s mother Helena (Elsie de Brauw) arrives on Texel, quite unexpectedly. She hasn’t seen her granddaughter Juul for a long time. Helena comes from the big city where she is a stage actress. On this visit, out of nowhere, she confides in her daughter that she may be seriously ill. Despite warnings from Luukas, Suze decides to support her mother. That will cost her dearly. Behind this paradise-like family picture lies a very difficult relationship with Helena. In this way Suze slowly loses control of herself and the cozy family life.

Quicksand is concentrate for actors. Two great actresses engage in a fascinating fight in this film, like gladiators to the death. Van Vliet is an up-and-coming talent and De Brauw a grande dame of the Dutch stage. Van Vliet, previously disarming in the TV series “Anne+” (Valerie Bisscheroux, 2018 -), plays meticulous, sensitive and ambiguous. At first you feel her strength and independence, but as soon as she ends up in her mother’s carousel of life out of goodwill, she slowly falls apart. In it, Suze also threatens to drag her partner and child along. De Brauw also contributes quite a bit for the stormy dynamics between mother and daughter. You can feel Helena’s pain seeping through every pore of De Brauw. Occasionally she is on the verge of overacting, but De Brauw likes to keep it raw and challenges the audience with that little bit more. The intense way she portrays Helena also makes you understand better how complex her mother’s attraction must be for Suze.

However, it’s not just about acting in Quicksand. In terms of editing and soundtrack, the film is indebted to psychological thrillers, such as the classic ‘Repulsion’ (Roman Polanski, 1965). When Helena leans more and more on Suze because of her serious illness, the daughter suffers from compulsive disorders. Van Vliet not only plays this beautifully, but the film is also subtly supported technically with elliptical montages and a soundtrack that swells according to Suze’s mental state. As a result, the image of ‘Quicksand’ almost literally shows cracks.

It is a pity that Simeoni Sundja as partner Luukas has little to do in the film. His character is especially contrasted with the swirling storms around him. He is the mainstay of Suze, the resting point of the film, but Juul seems to have to carry more than he can actually handle. In addition, the conclusion that there is a family trauma among these people and that has repercussions not only on daughter, but also on granddaughter Juul, is unsparing. This leaves little room for some light-heartedness, despite a few forced attempts.

‘Drijfzand’ is therefore a Dutch drama with a capital ‘D’. Schaap sincerely investigates the complicated relationship between mothers and daughters. Her ambition is reminiscent of that of Ingmar Bergman, who once withdrew to the island of Fårö where he produced his most soul-wrenching films. Like Bergman’s productions, Schaap’s film sometimes wallows in its own heaviness and melancholy. However, in general ‘Quicksand’ is an excellent drama with two authentic and penetrating performances and a strong eye for everyday detail. Can Texel become the Fårö of the Netherlands?