Bebop
date: 03-11-2010Director: Thijs Gloger
Producer: Rene Houwen
Camera: Alex Pitstra & Thijs Gloger
Premiere: Nederlands Film Festival, september 24, 2011
Bebop is a Dutch film. Bebop is also a style of jazz music, and it is both the style and the substance of this Dutch film. Bebop is a fairy tale. Bebop is about a young girl and the creeps that surround her. It shows her journey from aggressive city life to something that could be described as zen buddhism. Or not. Who knows. Bebop is an exploration of male sexuality, of anger and violence. Maybe it is about pedophilia, or just about a father that happens to drive a cool American car. Bebop contains a really nice scene that takes place in the woods. It is a film about wood and stone. Or about Converse All Star shoes, although the filmmakers were not sponsored by the manufacturer. They certainly wish they were. Bebop is a film about how teenagers interact, and shows what it is like to live in the Netherlands. Just like the film Holland did. Holland is the previous film by the man who also directed Bebop. Don’t be afraid, Bebop does not contain images of male genitals like Holland did, just the sounds they make. Which might be even more annoying. Or arousing. Who knows. This synopsis tries to be like Bebop, but it’s just some random thoughts about Bebop slapped together. Because the director of the film couldn’t figure out what his film is really about. Or maybe he does know, but doesn’t want to tell you. Because it’s his dirty little secret. Bebop might be about his dirty little secrets. Pay attention to the hidden clues and you’ll figure out what the film is about. All the pieces of the puzzle come together in a crucial flashback scene. After the flashback, everything is different. The young girl has changed. And in the end all shall be well. Or not.
cast:
Rokhaya Seck, Charley Hekkers, Kaz Schoonebeek, Harry Kuypers, Pieter Vink, Joren Molter, Karel Hermans, Marie Seck
Holland
date: 04-02-2009Director, D.O.P. & editor: Thijs Gloger
Producer: Rene Houwen
Starring: Bregtje Wolters, Harry Kuypers, Ines Kostic, Nynke Nijp
Olga is 25 years old. She lives in a delapidated apartment, in an anonymous city in Holland. By day she works in her dad’s luxurious clothes boutique, by night she mostly passes her time in the clubhouse of her soccer team. Apart from smoking cigarettes and drinking beer there’s not much to do, but it’s a better option than being at home alone. In a bid to escape the loneliness, Olga regularly takes one of her teammates to her apartment. The routine is predictable. After she’s had sex and a cigarette, Olga goes out to get some french fries. And at night, even the small diner proves to be a good place to pick up people for a one night stand. Having sex, smoking and eating seem to be the only things that make sense in life. Olga’s father and his new girlfriend are pursuing some form of happiness in their enormous mansion, but seem to have blocked out most of their emotions. The work that Olga does in her fathers store doesn’t bring her any joy. Whether she’s staying at home or at her dad’s mansion, Olga’s nights are sleepless. And the days keep passing. Everyone seems to find comfort in their daily lives. Without really giving resistance to the blandness of her existance, Olga keeps observing her fellow earthlings, wondering where all this eating, fucking and smoking will end. And it will end, though not in a way anyone could expect.
