Blinker (1999)

Director:

Filip Van Neyghem

Writers:

Marc de Bel (novel)
Marc de Bel (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 April 2001 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Family

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel | Kids And Family

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Joren Seldeslachts	...	Blinker
Melissa Gorduyn	...	Nelle
Matthias Meersmans	...	Jonas
Saskia Aelen	...	Vicky
Benny Claessens	...	Mats
Warre Borgmans	...	Paps
Els Olaerts	...	Mams
Chris Lomme	...	Oma
Mieke Verheyden	...	Juffrouw Slick
Nathalie Meskens	...	Ellen
Kristof Verhassel	...	Red Vampire
Han Coucke	...	Red Vampire
Tim van Hoecke	...	Red Vampire
Luk D'Heu	...	Boswachter
Gerda Tilman	...	Barones

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Belgium

Language:

Dutch

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Belgium:KT | Netherlands:AL

Company:

Cine 3 S.r.l.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Blinker is dunked in the water by Steef, his foot gets stuck under a chain, but in the subsequent shot, the chain is twisted twice around his ankle.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Zusjes Kriegel, De (2004)

i really like this film

"Blinker en de bakfietsbioscoop" was my favorite book when i was younger, and i think this movie is a good adaptation. The characters are good, the actor's well chosen and the sets seem to come right out of the book.

But for me there are two weak things. First, adapting meant cutting story lines, which they didn't do enough. They kept most story lines, but due to the tempo they have to maintain in order to keep this movie short for children, a lot of story lines are left dangling, others are taken up and finished in a mere ten seconds, other story lines never take of, and others are introduced at the end. It would have been better to cut some more, and make the movie less close to the book. They tried to keep up with the book too much. Most scenes never take longer than a minute or two, which doesn't help to make the movie a smooth flowing story.

The second weak point is the acting. The most heard comeback you'll get when you criticize the acting of children and youngsters is "they're only kids, cut them some slack." In a way i agree that they don't have to be judged by the same standards that apply for adults. But on the other hand it is my opinion that you can judge child actors by their own standards. The main actors are obviously chosen for their looks, because they are very true to the descriptions of the characters in the book. No one of the main characters had any formal training or experience before, which unluckily shows in this movie. A lot of dialogue sounds fake, and sometimes they even look bored reciting a line out of the script, which doesn't do any good to the movie. An exception is the main character, Blinker, who does have some very touching scenes, and who carries the movie adequately. Most adult characters in this movie are stereotypes, (like the clumsy dad, the old scary lady, the baroness, the bossy teacher, the 'young' grandmother,...) and the bit of overacting is permitted.

But the strange thing is, i really like this movie, mainly for the general atmosphere, the setting, the funny dialogue and the main character.

This movie would have been a lot better if it were longer (to improve the story lines), and if some of the actors had received some more coaching. The rather weak acting is probably due to the short time in which this movie was shot, 31 days, so if the same actors had gotten more time, the result would have been much better.

I rated it 8/10