The year of Fortuyn is one of the best TV series to come out of the Netherlands since a long time. The story is very well portrait by great actors, the good scriptwriting and direction make it a pleasure to watch, the photography is perfect, and the choice of music is surprising and completes this original series.
5 Reviews
The year good television came finally back!
rachnakarels6 May 2022
There are some events in life you'll never forget where you were on that particular moment. Like 9/11. I was in bed, breastfeeding my second son when I saw on tv both planes flying into the WTC.
And I remember May 6th 2002. When Pim Fortuyn was murdered. It was a warm day, that evening. That 6 PM news.. The people in the Netherlands were mad. Like they've never been before. Dutch people are not emotional? Well, we were then!
This series brought, no: pulled, me back in time. Acting and timing are so well put. I laughed many times, because I recognized every word, every tone, every look. This series draggs you back in time. And the soundtracks make it even better, if that's even possible.
And I remember May 6th 2002. When Pim Fortuyn was murdered. It was a warm day, that evening. That 6 PM news.. The people in the Netherlands were mad. Like they've never been before. Dutch people are not emotional? Well, we were then!
This series brought, no: pulled, me back in time. Acting and timing are so well put. I laughed many times, because I recognized every word, every tone, every look. This series draggs you back in time. And the soundtracks make it even better, if that's even possible.
A good show, but some iconic moments are completely wrong...
tbusschers25 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I think it's a good series and watched it in one go. Some castings have really turned out very well and that is an achievement since the pool of Dutch acting talent is not inexhaustible. Ramsey Nasr is awesome. The most believable character on the show. Of course also props for Jeroen Spitzenberger and as always for Frank Lammers. I find the casting of Thijs Römer inappropriate, because at the time he wondered on Twitter 'Where Volkert is when you need him' after Geert Wilders' statement 'Do you want more or less Moroccans'.
Well, back to the show.
The way certain moments have been recreated is very good. The photo moment of Melkert with his dead beer, for example. The way in which Mat Herben tells part of the story is also very original.
But...some iconic moments are completely wrong and that bothers me. The speech in the apartment about the 5th column is an example of this, but there are more moments that we all know, but which do not come out very well.
The attack on Fortuyn by Volkert is the pinnacle here. Really nothing of what actually happened is right, but also in the run-up to that everything goes wrong. Needlessly wrong.
For example, Volkert van der Graaf buys his weapon in a parking garage from some junkie. It is not a problem that the type of weapon does not match, but Volkert had owned that weapon for much longer. It was in the attic in a locked suitcase that he kept hidden from Petra (his girlfriend) all this time. He bought the weapon in a Turkish cafe where he ended up through one of his acquaintances from Wageningen.
Van der Graaf's 31-page statement describes exactly how he handled it. He was behind Fortuyn when he fired the first two bullets (into his back). In his own words because he then knew for sure that he could immediately fatally injure Fortuyn because he did not want him to suffer unnecessarily. In the series we see something completely different. Fortuyn, face to face with Volkert and the first shot that grazed his ear followed by a kind of execution where Fortuyn is kneeling in front of Volkert. It's nowhere near what actually happened on May 6, 2002.
What happened on May 06, 2002?
Volkert had first hidden in the bushes. When Smolders came out and got into Fortuyn's car, Volkert lay down between the cars from where he could see under the cars that a number of people, including Fortuyn, were arriving. He got up and walked towards Fortuyn. He walked around him and before Fortuyn could turn around he fired the first shot. The recoil of the weapon was great, it is said (despite being a light caliber), so he had to re-aim. The second shot was fired. Fortuyn collapsed. Volkert walked around him and shot his head and twice more in the neck. The sixth bullet was fired accidentally. Volkert ran away. Smolders gave chase. Volkert was arrested at the gas station.
This had been an excellent opportunity to get into Volkert's sick head. How did he come up with the idea? How did he prepare it?
In short: a good show, but the blow to the fire level was missing.
Well, back to the show.
The way certain moments have been recreated is very good. The photo moment of Melkert with his dead beer, for example. The way in which Mat Herben tells part of the story is also very original.
But...some iconic moments are completely wrong and that bothers me. The speech in the apartment about the 5th column is an example of this, but there are more moments that we all know, but which do not come out very well.
The attack on Fortuyn by Volkert is the pinnacle here. Really nothing of what actually happened is right, but also in the run-up to that everything goes wrong. Needlessly wrong.
For example, Volkert van der Graaf buys his weapon in a parking garage from some junkie. It is not a problem that the type of weapon does not match, but Volkert had owned that weapon for much longer. It was in the attic in a locked suitcase that he kept hidden from Petra (his girlfriend) all this time. He bought the weapon in a Turkish cafe where he ended up through one of his acquaintances from Wageningen.
Van der Graaf's 31-page statement describes exactly how he handled it. He was behind Fortuyn when he fired the first two bullets (into his back). In his own words because he then knew for sure that he could immediately fatally injure Fortuyn because he did not want him to suffer unnecessarily. In the series we see something completely different. Fortuyn, face to face with Volkert and the first shot that grazed his ear followed by a kind of execution where Fortuyn is kneeling in front of Volkert. It's nowhere near what actually happened on May 6, 2002.
What happened on May 06, 2002?
Volkert had first hidden in the bushes. When Smolders came out and got into Fortuyn's car, Volkert lay down between the cars from where he could see under the cars that a number of people, including Fortuyn, were arriving. He got up and walked towards Fortuyn. He walked around him and before Fortuyn could turn around he fired the first shot. The recoil of the weapon was great, it is said (despite being a light caliber), so he had to re-aim. The second shot was fired. Fortuyn collapsed. Volkert walked around him and shot his head and twice more in the neck. The sixth bullet was fired accidentally. Volkert ran away. Smolders gave chase. Volkert was arrested at the gas station.
This had been an excellent opportunity to get into Volkert's sick head. How did he come up with the idea? How did he prepare it?
In short: a good show, but the blow to the fire level was missing.
Pim's point of view
TinaMarga28 March 2023
It is definitely worthwhile to have a series about Pim Forteyn's period in politics. However, I think that Pim would not have been happy with the way this is done. Melkert does not resemble the true Melkert at all. I followed Melkert in the press in that period, but he was much more the intellectual and solidly appeared in the press. These were also his weaknesses. In this series he seems a soft house father and more of a slave towards others. Also Pim himself, he was determined when he appeared on tv while he is here often uncertain and easy to bypass. It is a pity. This series could have been so interesting. The dialogues could have been vivid too.
Very poor acting
moekabat8 April 2022
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