Shocking Blue (2010)

Directed by: Mark de Cloe | 82 minutes | drama | Actors: Ruben van Weelden, Jim van der Panne, Lisa Smit, Niels Gomperts, Dragan Bakema, Caro de Jonge, Nienke Westerhof, Thijs Feenstra, Texas Schiffmacher, Sarah Bannier

With ‘Life from a day’ (2009) filmmaker Marc de Cloe made his debut as a feature film director, although his TV film ‘Valse Wals’ from 2004 has also been screened in cinemas. Before that he had already made a name for himself with a series of short films. De Cloe studied at the Rietveld Academy and the Maurits Binger Institute, among others, and made his first impression in 1992 when he won the Grolsch Film Prize with his graduation films ‘Lucky Strike’ and ‘Ralentir’. In 1998 he won the NPS prize for best short film for ‘Gitanes’ (1997), for which he was also awarded the following year at the Avanca International Film Festival. His best-known work is perhaps ‘Boy Meets Girl Stories’ (2002), a series of thirty-four short films about falling in love. He made ‘Summer Day’ in 2006 with screenwriter Céline Linssen. The collaboration apparently went well, because the two also worked together on ‘Shocking Blue’ (2010), a coming-of-age drama set in the Noord-Holland polder.

Thomas (Ruben van Weelden), Chris (Jim van der Panne) and Jacques (Niels Gomperts) are three friends around the age of sixteen, who earn some pocket money by working in Chris’s father’s cash register. Jacques is the most confident of the three, who has no trouble hitting on girls and gets high grades in school without any difficulty. The shy Chris is actually not involved with girls at all and prefers to tinker with his moped. Thomas, the most introverted of the trio, dreams of growing a bright blue tulip (‘Shocking Blue’). He is secretly in love with the beautiful Manou (Lisa Smit), but he does not dare to approach her. The three boys hang out, have a lot of fun with each other, race on their mopeds along the tulip fields and go to AZ together at the weekend. Their friendship falters, however, when Jacques is killed in a tragic accident. Thomas feels guilty for his death and closes himself off from others even more than he already did. Chris tries to help him, but Thomas fights him off. The only one who seems to get through to him is Manou. But she has her own worries…

The emotional world of teenagers – and especially boys – is often a great mystery. They prefer not to talk about their problems. Not with each other, but certainly not with their parents. In ‘Shocking Blue’, the parents are even largely responsible for Thomas to go even further into his shell. His parents’ marriage hasn’t been much for a while now. His mother left home to live more freely. Unfortunately, Thomas’s complex home situation remains underexposed; all attention is focused on the trauma he suffered from Jacques’ death and the way he tries to deal with it. The budding love for Manou plays an important role in this processing. Unfortunately, screenwriter Linssen chose to add some dramatic twists that could have made the film gripping but not always believable. The sometimes almost surreal events in the second half of the film contrast sharply with the realistic setting of Dutch clay, tulip bulbs and brown cheese sandwiches.

‘Shocking Blue’ is at its strongest in the smaller, disarming moments. The blossoming love between Manou and Thomas, for example, is beautifully designed. The romance explodes when the two are rolling around in the sand, between the glittering sand. The scenes that underline the friendship between the boys are also strong. The young cast is in good shape, although it is a pity that Ruben van Weelden has the leading role, since he does not immediately win the sympathy of the viewer with his flat voice and aloof appearance. In that respect, he loses out to Jim van der Panne, whose role is smaller, but who in fact appeals more to the imagination. Niels Gomperts has the right dose of swagger to take the others in tow as the toughest of the bunch, but his typical Gooise accent throws a spanner in the works. Because of course nobody believes that this is a sober North Holland polder boy! Big star of the cast is Lisa Smit, who already made an impression in ‘TBS’ (2008) and now once again shows that she is a natural talent.

Although it’s a shame that ‘Shocking Blue’ eventually succumbs to unlikely drama and the balance in the story leans too much towards the trauma of Thomas, Marc De Cloe has delivered an enjoyable film. Partly thanks to the recognizable, atmospheric and typical Dutch setting, which also comes into its own thanks to the excellent lighting and matching soundtrack, the story immediately appeals. The genuine mutual friendship and disarmed romance between the protagonists are the undisputed highlight of ‘Shocking Blue’ and easily keep the film afloat.