These last years there have been a few (television)movies about recent political events in Holland. I didn't really enjoy any of them. It seemed Dutch filmmakers aren't really good at these kind of films, unlike for example English filmmakers. So my expectations for this movie were not very high. But I was pleasantly surprised! I saw a mature political drama. The films tells the story of the near political and constitutional crisis in Holland when the successor to the throne, Willem Alexander, wants to marry the Argentinian girl Maxima Zorreguietta. It turns out that her father was a member of the Argentinian government in the seventies. This was a government of dictators, and there were lot's of political murders in those days, and lots of people disappeared mysteriously. To most Dutch people it would be unthinkable that this man would come to this wedding, together with our queen and our royal family. So eventually he didn't. But the solving of this crisis took a big effort of prime Minister Wim Kok (a social democrat!). He solved the problem trough silent diplomacy, and with the help of Max van der Stoel, former minister of Foreign affairs, and a man with great international standing (also a social democrat). What makes the film interesting is that it does not claim to be an exact representation of the factual events, but merely an interpretation. The three main characters (Bram van der Vlugt as the prime minister, Eric van der Donk as the former minister and a Spanish actor as the father) are very good, and it's a real pleasure to watch their scenes together. It's interesting that they are no lookalikes, but merely older man of about the same age as the real characters. But the actors did study the habits and particularities of the original politicians very well! On the other hand Willem Alexander and Maxima are played by lookalikes, and are in fact not really interesting. After seeing this movie I think that maybe there's hope for good Dutch political drama after all!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
