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Dutch Circuit

Posted: December 31, 2009

Komt een vrouw bij de dokter (A Woman Goes to the Doctor)

Director: Reinout Oerlemans
Writer: Gert Embrechts
Producers: Hans De Weers, Reinout Oerlemans

Stars:

Carice van Houten
Barry Atsma
Anna Drijver

Tri-genre: medical romance drama
Story Situation: love triangle - infidelity
Satisfaction Rating: above average
Maturity Rating: 13+

Plotline: Based on the novel by Kluun:  Stijn (Barry Atsma) and Carmen (Carice van Houten) live an idyllic life in suburban Amsterdam: young, attractive, successful, wealthy, in love and with a newborn daughter.  Then Carmen is diagnosed with breast cancer.  Suddenly she’s confronting chemotherapy, radiation, hair loss, voimiting, and constant visits in and out of the hospital.  By day, Stijn is Carmen’s true and loyal rock, completely supportive, but by night, he has trouble coping.  He secretly starts living a double life, frequenting clubs, drinking to excess and indulging in sexual trysts with lots of women.  Carmen has always tolerated Stijn’s occasional dalliance, but after her breast is removed, she feels less confident and finds herself troubled by his infidelity.  On Stijn’s part, the trysts have always been just sex, until he meets beautiful sultry Roos (Anna Drijver).

Then a miracle occurs: Carmen is in remission.

Carmen asks Stijn to stop his extramarital affairs and to work things out between them.  He quickly agrees.  They go on holiday together in an attempt to repair their relationship unil Carmen discovers that Roos is still in contact with Stijn.  She breaks down and demands a divorce.  But being stuck together in a far off vacation paradise eventually brings them closer than they have been in a long time.  By the time they return home, they are reconciled.  A week later Carmen gets sick again.  The cancer has spread.  She has months to live.  Stijn again escapes into the arms of Roos.  He continues to support Carmen through her hospital treatments, but his double life has gotten busier.  Sex with Roos has become like a drug addiction.  After another terrible fight with Carmen, Steijn gets in his car under the influence of alcohol and causes a multi-car pile-up.  Nobody gets hurt except Stiin, who sustains some cuts and bruises.  But he must spend the night in jail.  That’s when he has an epiphany.  His double life is now over.

He returns home determined to care for Carmen and Luna for as long as it takes.  Carmen is very sick.  Family and friends stay close.  When she uncontrollably wets herself in bed, Carmen decides she has had enough.  She can only get worse.  She says goodbye to all her loved ones, including Luna, before her doctor performs a legally-authorized euthanasia.  Stijn stays by her side until the last.  Some time later, Stijn and Luna are together in Australia.  They open a special box that Carmen made for Luna.

Posted: December 8, 2009

De helaasheid der dingen (The Misfortunates, La merditude des choses)

Director(s): Felix Van Groeningen
Writer(s): Christophe Dirickx
Producer(s): Felix Van Groeningen

Tri-genre: personal drama comedy
Story Situation: coming-of-age
Satisfaction Rating: excellent
Maturity Rating: 17+

Plotline: Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Dimitri Verhulst, an aspiring young writer struggles to make something of himself by overcoming the beaten-down sensibility that comes from growing up surrounded by the unbridled drinking and pointless womanizing of his uncles, and by using their misadventures to fuel his writings.