The Passion Fruit (2003)

Directed by: Maarten Treurniet | 105 minutes | drama | Actors: Peter Paul Muller, Dai Carter, Halina Reijn, Carice van Houten, Jan Decleir, André Arend van Noord, Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Jeroen Willems, Frank Lammers

‘De Passionfruit’ is the feature film debut of director Maarten Treurniet, who became known for television films and series such as ‘Pleidooi’ and ‘Het Paradijs’. A book adaptation is often disappointing, because much of the original story has been omitted. Screenwriter Kees van Beijnum has used the right starting point during his work to combat this evil. He did not want to list the highlights of the story as faithfully as possible, but to make a good film. The result is a film that also surprises the readers of the book.

That surprise is formed by a number of elements. First up are Armin’s fantasy moments. An example of this is the scene in which Armin visits the wife of one of the suspects (read: possible fathers of his son). In the book, Armin finds the woman attractive. The tension between them could lead to lovemaking, but nothing happens. In the film there is the fantasy moment when Armin kisses the woman violently, but a few seconds later this turns out not to have actually happened. Furthermore, the flashbacks are surprisingly well integrated into the film. There are not too many and there are not so few that the viewer often has to rely on his own imagination. Finally, there is the ending that surprises, because it differs from that of the book.

Another, though less positive, element that differs from the book is Armin’s generally selfish attitude. Finding Bo’s father becomes an obsession, but during the film it is not really clear why he is so driven to find the father. Because I want to know is what he says about it halfway through the movie. Writer Karel Glastra van Loon indicates on the website of ‘De Passionfruit’ what he believes is the core of the book. What is true and what do we believe to be true? Can you know anything at all? Can you know about the people closest to you, who you think you know best, including yourself? The question is whether this theme has stuck with the viewer afterwards. I myself went home with the question whether everything should always come to the fore, or whether it is sometimes better to let things rest. Perhaps also a topic to spend an evening discussing.

All in all, ‘De Passionfruit’ knows how to captivate from start to finish and, moreover, the wish of writer Glastra Van Loon has been fulfilled: a film that is a combination of intense and heavy and light and airy.