Ten Towers Deep (2009)

Directed by: Marc Willard | 148 minutes | adventure, family, history | Actors: Tom Hodgson, Soy Kroon, Charlotte Hoffman, Levi van Kempen, Alexander van Bergen, Dennis Verhagen, Maureen Havlena, Bas Keijzer, Jasper Beerthuis, Guus Dam, Stefanie van Leersum, Laura van Kuik, Nellie Benner, Thei Dols, Mitchell Immerzeel , Ruud Drupsteen, Jacques Vriens

Children’s book author Jacques Vriens enjoys great popularity among his target group and it is actually surprising that ‘Ten towers deep’ is only the first film adaptation of a book from his oeuvre. The book was published in 2004 by Van Holkema & Warendorf/Unieboek BV and was tipped by the Dutch children’s jury the following year. It is a compelling story that takes place in Limburg in 1958. The two friends Stef and Victor live in the fictional mining town of Oranjedorp. They are about eleven years old and don’t know any better than that later on they will also become cool people, just like their fathers and Stef’s brother Victor. A Koelpiet is a miner and Stef and Victor have founded the young Koelpiet club. Age mate Wietske, who also lives in the colony, is eager to join the club, and after some hesitation the two boys agree. However, Wietske has to pass a number of tests before she is admitted. ‘Ten towers deep’ is an exciting and moving story about friendship and loyalty, which you will read in one go. Vriens describes the adventures of the three friends so smoothly that the film almost unfolds before your eyes while you are reading it. So it’s no wonder that producer Bijker thought it would be a good idea to turn the book into a miniseries.

In six episodes of about 25 minutes each, the (young) viewer is drawn into the fifties. The decor lends a hand in this: a lot of effort has clearly been made to create an atmosphere that is as authentic as possible. The young actors also do an excellent job; they convincingly play children who are not yet familiar with mobile telephones, Hyves or Playstation. The language is of course adapted to this. Stef and Victor were raised very religious, Wietske, on the other hand, thinks the faith is strange – she doesn’t get anything different from her atheist parents – but that makes her an outsider in the village. The (growing) friendship between the three children is strongly depicted. Although the scenario does not offer any real surprises, each episode manages to end with a reasonable cliffhanger. Broadly speaking, the book is followed, although the emphasis in the series is on Stef and Victor’s ultimate dream to get into the mine. This is of course far too dangerous and therefore forbidden, but the three still manage to come up with a way to get closer to their goal. In the book it remains a dream, but in the film these attempts create nail-biting tension. In addition, it is very nice to see the young teenagers dealing with the problems and ignorance that come with that age: they are too old for childish stuff, but too young for adult things like ‘terrible intercourse’, as Stef thinks it’s called. In addition to the miner’s life, other issues are also explored, such as bullying, faith, penance, family ties and relationships between atheists and Christians. Fortunately, the religious aspect does not make the series too good and despite the heavy themes, ‘Ten towers deep’ never becomes heavy or depressing, which of course has to do with the target group.

‘Ten towers deep’ is an expertly crafted miniseries that introduces young people in an appealing way to a piece of history about which little is known. The convincing acting, the beautiful story and the authentic setting are reasons enough to watch this sympathetic Dutch production.