Securities (2010)

Directed by: Nicole van Kilsdonk | 90 minutes | drama, comedy | Actors: Elise Schaap, Loek Peters, Horace Cohen, Peggy Jane de Schepper, Steef Cuijpers, Miguel Narings, Annemarie Prins, Gijs de Lange, Wim Bouwens, Casper Gimbrère, Henk Schiffmacher, Hesdy Gerges, Edwin Oudshoorn, Sebastiaan Labrie, Ad van Kempen , Noel Keulen, Reinout Bussemaker, Samir Veen, Arne Toonen, Isis Cabolet

We already know fake documentaries from the horror genre: ‘The Blair Witch Project’ and more recently ‘[REC]’ were highly regarded by the public. It is less common in a romkom, but Dutch director Nicole van Kilsdonk (‘How do I survive…’, ‘Johan’) makes it happen. ‘Sekjoeritie’ is a fake documentary wrapped in a romantic comedy. Or is it a romantic comedy wrapped in a fake documentary…?

Tjitske (strongly acted by Elise Schaap) is an ambitious young journalist who works for a current affairs section. She desperately wants to make a film herself and seizes the opportunity she gets from her boss with both hands. The subject of her feature-length documentary was quickly chosen: it should be a film about a right-wing proletarian, someone who represents the ideas of an ever-growing group of Dutch people. When she meets Bob (Loek Peters), a security officer who started doing this job after the murder of Pim Fortuyn, for a small assignment, she thinks she has found the perfect match in him. There are various assignments that Bob has to perform: festivals, golf competitions and exhibitions. Initially, Tjitske and her cameraman Jeroen (Casper Gimbrère) only follow the security guard during his work, in the hope of being able to record a provocative statement from him. But it soon becomes apparent that Bob is not at all the person that Tjitske thought she would film based on her prejudices. When Tjitske’s boss is not satisfied with the rushes he sees, she tries to maneuver Bob into a certain position in order to register that ‘gut feeling of Dutch society’. Bob is eventually followed everywhere and Tjitske’s feelings for the bald teddy bear are getting stronger.

Although Tjitske’s character is written rather exaggerated, the realism with which Bob is portrayed makes up for a lot. The screenplay by Bert Bouma (who previously wrote the script for Telefilm ‘Bloedbroeders’ from 2008 and who also has many TV series to his name) is excellent. There is room for the two main characters to explore in depth: Bob has a needy mother (Annemarie Prins) and he was abandoned by his father at a young age. Tjitske also has a difficult relationship with her father, who would prefer that she give up her career in the film world and succeed him in his business. The two actors have a pleasant chemistry, but it is mainly Loek Peters who steals the show. His rendition of the rough husk-white pit alone makes ‘Sekjoeritie’ worth a look. He convinces in every scene; whether he has to crack down on his job, try to feed his mother with care, or privately comfort the girl of his dreams Christel (Peggy Jane de Schepper) because of her heartbreak… Finally, the role of young Isis Cabot is also worth mentioning worth, although she can only be seen in a handful of scenes as an animal rights activist.