The Fuse (2008)

Directed by: Mischa Kamp | 90 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Lukas Dijkema, Johanna ter Steege, Elske Rotteveel, Anna Raadsveld, Jacomijn Belle, Louise Radder, Nettie Blanken, Benja Bruijning, Marguerite de Brauw, Stefaan Degand, Leslie de Gruyter, Ernst Dekkers, Michiel Nooter, Nienke Römer, Donna van Bourgondiën , Hein van der Heijden

The telefilm ‘De Fuik’ makes you gasp for breath. You often read stories in the newspaper about a father or mother who kills or abuses his or her own children. You know that things like this happen, but you can’t imagine it. After seeing ‘De Fuik’, these lurid stories suddenly got a picture. Terrifying and impressive.

At first sight, the Catholic De Groot family appears to be a happy family. The four daughters play a quartet together and when the father comes home from work, the oldest daughter is already waiting for him. Only when it turns out that the two brothers of the family have been removed from home, things start to dawn on them. There may be something wrong with this so-called happy family. The father is afraid that his four daughters will also have to be evicted and flees. He tells his wife and children that they are going on vacation. Only the eldest daughter, Simone, realizes that this is not a holiday. However, the love for her father is so great that she goes with him and does not realize what he is doing with this flight.

It is scary to watch the father destroy his family for fear that someone else will destroy his family. He loves his daughters but in a creepy, sickly way. Andrea has it the hardest. She is the one who occasionally resists the strict religious upbringing and also gets the necessary problems with it. Together, the four sisters stand strong, and after a dramatic event they realize that their father does not want the best for them.

With ‘De Fuik’, Mischa Kamp presents a realistic story that impresses. Reports about family dramas in the newspaper will never be the same after seeing this film. As terrifying as the fact is, it is real. A father who loves his daughters so much and will do anything to keep them with him. But really everything. And the daughters who believe they are safe with their father, because if you can’t trust him, who should you trust as a young girl?

The story is very impressive and well put together on all sides. The only point of criticism is that the father is not in the picture enough to get a good impression. He is of course the culprit in this situation, but his daughters do love him. It would have been even more impressive if the bond between father and daughters had been more deepened. But on the other side; then the story might be too close. It’s easier to hate someone you haven’t bonded with as a viewer. And the film is impressive.