The legs of Saint Hildegard (2020)

Directed by: Johan Nijenhuis | 103 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Herman Finkers, Johanna ter Steege, Ferdi Stofmeel, Leonie ter Braak, Daphne Bunskoek, Reinier Bulder, Aniek Stokkers, Annie Beumers, Marieke Lustenhouwer, Stef Assen, Karlijn Lansink, Jan Roerink

Female empowerment takes on a different meaning in ‘The legs of Sint-Hildegard’ by director Johan Nijenhuis. How can a couple be together for several decades and still not be happy? In ‘The legs of Sint-Hildegard’, spoken almost entirely in Twents (the makers already get a star for the title, so to speak), we see that this is quite possible. In fact, for many couples, this is a point to rethink life together. Children out, retirement in sight… Do you still have something to say to each other? Herman Finkers, mainly known as a comedian (“If I had green hair, I would have it dyed”), wrote the screenplay for this film and takes on the leading role of the sympathetic Jan.

Jan and Gedda (Johanna ter Steege) have been together for 35 years. He is a veterinarian and she teaches at the University of Twente. When an unexpected event in the family circle changes the direction of their lives, Jan suddenly seems to lose his blinders. He suddenly realizes that Gedda is very firmly in control. She always helps her husband with well-intentioned advice (“Bring your coat, it can get cold!”), but in the meantime she makes all kinds of decisions without taking into account Jan’s feelings or desires.

Jan can see who gave Gedda this way of doing things, because his mother-in-law also shows this obsessive behavior. When Gedda finally reaches the limit of Jan’s tolerance, Jan makes some crazy, but understandable leaps to finally be himself.

Meanwhile, we see that daughter Liesbeth (Leonie ter Braak) is in a similar situation. She is divorced, but just moved in with her boyfriend Erik (Ferdi Stofmeel). Erik is an importer from Twente, and is not yet proficient in the dialect, but that is not the biggest problem. He can’t color outside the lines and is very jealous. Finally, son Peter (Stef Assen) and Ilse (Aniek Stokkers) have a lottery ticket, or is there more to it?

The screenplay of ‘The Legs of Saint Hildegard’ (to explain the title would be a spoiler) is an excellent adaptation of that of the Czech film ‘Teorie tygra’ (2016). It’s a perfect blend of serious drama and light comedy. The cast is fine, and it is refreshing to see a film set in the east of the country and in Twente spoken (but with Dutch subtitles) on the silver screen. Casting Herman Finkers in the lead role has been a golden opportunity, you immediately close this man in your heart, no matter how foolish his buck-jumps are. Johan Nijenhuis secretly made his best film to date with ‘The legs of Sint-Hildegard’. Funny that this is for a different target group, the young people who usually come to his films will not be able to do much with this. Veur oaldere leu: an awfully good film, nothing wrong with it. Goa d’r rap them, then ku’j d’r oawer kuiern.