Taiki (2019)

Directed by: Mirjam de With | 85 minutes | drama, family | Actors: Pepijn van der Sman, Jennifer Hoffman, Tibor Lukács, Linde van der Storm, Aus Greidanus, Camilla Larsson, Nadja Christiansson, Raymi Sambo, Peter Stefansson, Elina Du Rietz, Tamara Schoppert, Yaser Wasifi, Pia Jonsson, Evan am Zoll, Jimmy Nyqvist, Katey Van Hagia Sophia, Nicklas Astfors

Which young parent does not sometimes have the inclination to paste his child behind the wallpaper? It is also not easy to combine family life with a busy job, the household, the weekly hour of sports and the much-needed social contacts. Just ask Linda (Jennifer Hoffman) and Chiel (Tibor Lukács) Vollenberg, parents of nine-year-old Bruno (Pepijn van der Sman) and six-year-old Frankie (Linde van der Storm). They decide to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life by taking a well-deserved vacation – without sugar and without screens! – to go to Sweden. But once in the far north, they don’t shoot straight into release mode; in fact, Linda and Chiel’s stress is skyrocketing when their son disappears without a trace because of them. In the Telefilm ‘Taiki’ (2019), directed by Mirjam de With (‘Get Lost’, 2018) based on a screenplay by Karin van der Meer (known from series such as ‘Rozengeur en vodka lime’ and ‘Nieuwe neighbors’), the Scandinavian mysticism cleverly interwoven with Dutch sobriety, resulting in an adventurous family film that may not really surprise you, but it strikes the right chord thanks to its recognisability, humor, lifelike characters and the spectacular Swedish landscape.

Bruno has absolutely no desire to go on holiday to Sweden with his parents and sister. He prefers to stay at home to play games with his digital alter ego Taiki. So while his father takes a last minute Swedish course and his mother packs the things and makes sure that it is left at home properly, Bruno is sitting in his underwear behind the computer. But he really has to believe it and not much later the Vollenberg family are in the car on their way to Sweden. Mother Linda sees the trip as a digital detox; the mobile phones are included but the chargers are not and as soon as the battery is empty, it is empty. Is that so wise…? The bickering starts on the way: the old-fashioned paper map turns out not to be as easy to read as expected and the car also shows problems. Bruno and Frankie are hustling in the back, which doesn’t make the atmosphere in the car any better. In the middle of a desolate Swedish forest road, Chiel becomes too much: he stops the car and puts Bruno out of the car. As a joke, or to make a statement; as long as the kid learns a lesson. But Bruno decides to get back at his parents by diving into the woods; let them sweat. But Linda and Chiel can no longer find their son and are forced to launch a search with the residents of a nearby village. Bruno drives deeper and deeper into the forest, fleeing from a wolf that is watching him. Will the family members ever be reunited?

‘Taiki’ is not only an adventure film for young people, but also offers adults plenty of food for thought and entertainment. The bickering between the parents, the finger pointing at each other when disaster strikes, the white lie of mother Linda for fear that the locals will not help them find their son if they know that the parents have kicked him out of the car. Mother Linda is a textbook example of a hip mother: a perfectionist, mainly concerned with what the outside world thinks. That temporary ‘unplugging’ is of course also a nod to the current fashion trend to forcibly reduce the use of smartphones and other screens. The tragedy, guilt and accompanying despair initially drives Chiel and Linda further apart, as the reproaches fly back and forth. Later, it just drives them closer to each other: they realize that they need each other very much to get through this. For a moment an oversentimental ending threatens, but fortunately the Dutch sobriety rears its head just in time to straighten the balance. The acting is fine, but the big stars of this Telefilm are wolfhound Katey and the Swedish nature, both of which turn out to be equally enigmatic. The idyll of nature – tranquility, peace, attention to the here and now that Mother in particular craves so much – turns out to have two faces. It is quite difficult for the modern family in 2019 if we are really in a remote place and we have temporarily renounced our mobile phone. But oh, how dazzlingly beautiful that nature is! The big question for Chiel and Linda is: do you see that when you are so feverishly busy de-stressing and detoxing?

‘Taiki’ isn’t just a feast for the eyes, with its stunning images of Sweden’s endless forests, lakes, flora and fauna; the film also presents (young) parents with a mirror. But under the modern guise of digital detoxing and online gaming, there is a classic adventure film about the special friendship between a boy and a wolf. The story is somewhat predictable, but the makers have been forgiven: ‘Taiki’ is a fine, exciting and very recognizable adventure film. Entertainment for the whole family!