In an uncomfortably witty opening scene, system administrator Johan Reijmer listens to his doctor talking more about him than with him, stating Johans recent medical past which makes it clear that he is suffering from a skin disease that is caused by a lack of physical contact and which, logically, can only be relieved by physical contact. But Johan has to go to great and increasingly more desperate lengths to have even the slightest physical contact.
Starts out as a comedy, then, in a clever twist, takes a dark turn which leads to a clever ending.
Director Quaedvlieg takes a serious look at herself, as she can't help comparing her to the dozens of so-called 'Fitgirls' who seem to bombard Social Media with their perfect bodies and the healthy lifestyle they live in order to achieve physical perfection. Bianca decides to take up the challenge, trying to become a 'Fitgirl' herself in order to find out what the psychological effects are. This very brave and revealing bit of self-contemplation leads to revelations which not only take the viewer by surprise, but clearly, Quaedvlieg herself as well, which leads to some very emotional, and intensely personal scenes, particularly when it becomes clear that her boyfriend looks at her in a slightly, but ever so painfully, different way.
Very intense drama in which Irina is distraught when she stumbles across a home video which shows that her 19-year-old son Ivan was involved in a gang rape. Clearly, this goes against how she raised and taught her son, and so she is compelled to confront him about it. A confrontation with devestating consequences for both. Considering the subject matter, this is very well made and acted, though definitely not for all tastes.
Another analysis of the impact of social media, but the joky title and the humourous visuals immediately reveal that director Simone Peelen has decided on a more light-hearted approach. A choice which is not only unusual, but ineffective as well, as the visuals distract from the scattershot, but mostly rather serious remarks made about the use and effect of social media. Whereas you would have liked image and sound to complement one another, too often they contradict which makes this frustrating, rather than entertaining, in spite of some creative visual effects.
At an isolated boarding school, a sensitive is not only being bullied by two of his classmates, but by his teacher as well. The iron bars surrounding the area means escape is virtually impossible. But then the boy befriends a small bird who give him some hope that he can escape this world, even if only in his dreams. Too simplistic and sentimental for adults, but the final minutes (which include a suicide attempt and worse!) is much too dark to make this suitable for children.
Two young girls [Eva Sóllilja Einarsdóttir and Anja Sæberg] have come up with a brilliant scheme: they go around asking for second-hand stuff they can sell for a lottery, the proceeds of which go to a charity for children with chronic diseases. They use the money they earn to buy loads of Vitamin C-candy, which, of course is good for them. They inevitably get into trouble when their scheme is discovered by an elderly lady who demands nearly half of the proceeds. When it turns out the woman actually wants to take all the money for herself, one of the girls 'panics'. Sharply written black comedy is tightly, and cleverly edited, but it's the superb performances by the two leading ladies that will have you glued to the screen.
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