(R)Evolution (2021)

Directed by: Serve Hermans | 84 minutes | comedy, science fiction | Actors: Angela Schijf, Anniek Pheifer, Bruno Vanden Broecke, Michel Sluysmans, Michiel Blankwaardt, Jeroen van Koningsbrugge, Jouman Fattal, Porgy Franssen

‘(R)Evolution’ is a hybrid piece that begins with a philosophical reflection on a voice-over. The first impression is caused by pompous threats that ‘it will probably never freeze again for Christmas in the future’.

Who will like this? Critics, of course, can once again go wild about Dutch film when discussing this product by Toneelgroep Maastricht. The club, led by Pieter Kuijpers, has a number of well-known actors in its ranks, such as Angela Schijf, Aniek Pheifer and Bruno Vanden Broeke, who are participating. Always good of course. But ok, so a hybrid work, described in announcements as ‘film comedy’.

‘(R)Evolution’ is not theatrical, it is experimental, roaring in tone and slickly fast. Who’s going to like this, we wonder again? We introduce ourselves to secondary school students at a screening during Social Studies. And a teacher in a cotton pantsuit who likes to be popular with students, but will never be because love comes from one side, and he has the wrong music taste for 2022 (read: Belgian post-grunge).

Seriously, ‘(R)Evolution’ has a dialogue style consistent with educational material. And there was apparently little time available for the shooting. The film is a docudramatic reflection on developments such as microchips in the body and what this means for human happiness; the extinction of homo sapiens is also linked to climate change.

As usual in Dutch film, it is shoved down the throat, without charm or modesty. Visually slick, smoothly edited and with a nice cast, that is. Angela Schijf as a robot housewife, who doesn’t want that? The real lady of the house probably, and yours truly after seeing this movie. ‘The dishwasher is dissatisfied with the working atmosphere’, she says, for example. What a humorless bitch Wolfs, move!